The Protector and the Sea Princess
by stocky-parker-dog
Summary: This is based of the pokemon movie 'Pokemon ranger and the temple of the sea'. At the suggestion of Contestshipper16, I am attempting to put my own twist to this if Drew and Misty had been included. This will be Contestshipping and Pokeshipping, but mostly contestshipping. I do NOT own the movie or the characters. Please Read, Enjoy and Review please.
1. Misty and a Mystery

**Misty and a Mystery**

May's POV

It was hot. So hot. Somehow Brock had gotten us lost. All I could think about was my dire need for water. I trekked along behind Max. Please let us get to a town or something soon.

"Just tell me again, Brock," Ash moaned, "Are you really sure this is the right way to go?"

"I used to think so," Brock answered, "but now, I'm not so sure." We are in the middle of a wasteland, I felt like crying out, do you really think this could be the right way.

"I can't believe we still haven't seen a town," Max sighed dejectedly, "the Pokénav's still not picking up any signal."

"Brock if I die out here from dehydration," I muttered, "You're the one who'll be held responsible."

"I'm so thirsty," Max complained, "just give me some water."

"Just don't drink it all," I groaned, reluctantly handing him my bottle. We stopped at Max opened the lid. I bit my dry and cracked lip as I watched. Two drops fell onto his waiting tongue. I gasped and snatched it off him.

"Max!" I exclaimed, "I told you not to drink it all!" I peered inside it. There was absolutely nothing left.

"It wasn't exactly full you know," he retorted hotly.

"But now that I know there's absolutely none left," I shrieked, "it makes me even thirstier!"

"Water," Ash muttered, looking off into the distance the way we had just come.

"Huh?" I turned around to follow his gaze. I crossed my fingers, hoping it wasn't just another mirage. My eyes widened as I saw a huge bubble of water rising in the air and dipping down again. I had to be seeing things. Ash ran forwards. I quickly followed after him. I gasped as I come to the edge of the bank. There were countless of these so called bubbles of water, some with Pokémon swimming inside. A girl in the middle was commanding them to do several tricks. Wow! So much water. This had to be a dream right now, but if it could get rid of the dry stickiness in my mouth, then I'll go with it.

"Hello!" Max called. The girl looked up at us. Max ran down the hill, asking for water. Brock and Ash ran after him. Me? I tripped on my way and was now uncomfortably rolling down the slope. I groaned, sitting up when it finally stopped. It didn't look like it, but that grassy hill had plenty of sharp spiky things that I just happen to have rolled over. I looked down at my arm and screwed up my nose. A fresh cut was leaking thick blood. I looked up in time to see Max fall back in surprise from one of the bubbles as a Pokémon stuck out its head.

"Who are you?" the girl asked.

"My name's Ash," Ash answered.

"And I'm Max."

"I'm May," I groaned, standing up and brushing myself off, "we got lost out here when we were travelling." I shot an annoyed look at Brock who grinned sheepishly and scratched the back of his head. I noticed he still hadn't said anything; he was just looking around curiously. Ash and Max walked over to Pikachu, who had jumped of Ash's shoulder and scurried towards a group of Pokémon. Couldn't we just hurry up and get some water…and maybe a band aid?

"Hey you're in the Marina underwater Pokémon show, correct?" He questioned.

"That's right!" The girl answered, grinning.

"And your name is Lizabeth and you're the star of the show!" he exclaimed.

"Right again," she laughed

"Awesome, the name's Brock my dear," he said, leaning towards her, "I happen to know all about the Marina group." Here we go again, I thought as I zoned out to whatever Brock was going on about. Asking for a date or something. There was so much water around us, why hasn't anyone given us any yet. I snapped out of it when I saw Max pulling Brock by the ear.

"Lizabeth, what's wrong?" an old man asked, coming up to Lizabeth. Two more people joined, a woman with the same blue hair and another man.

"It's ok grandpa," Lizabeth replied, "these people were on the road and got lost."

"You must be her family then," Ash presumed, looking over them.

"Yeah that's right, I'm Shep," the oldest man said.

"I'm Kyle, Lizabeth's dad," the other man said.

"The name's Meredith," the woman said, waving to us, "I'm her mom."

"Wow, you look like you could be her sister," Ash blurted. Meredith blushed.

"Go on," she exclaimed, "I mean it, go on." She slapped Ash on the back, causing him to fall over. He blinked as he lay on the ground. I looked over him.

"Are you alright Ash?" I asked.

"Yeah," he replied, "when did you get so tall?" I laughed and just helped him up.

"So would you like some water now?" Lizabeth asked.

"Yes please," I answered quickly.

* * *

I sat on a barrel chair as Lizabeth distributed glasses of water. Max instantly picked it up and drained it all in one huge gulp. I rolled my eyes at the other boys' similar actions. I carefully picked mine up and drank it as neatly as I could. I was going to show them that at least one of us had good table habits. I honestly didn't know how I ended up travelling back with this group of boys.

"That's good," Max sighed in content, wiping the dribble of water from him chin. A Buizel hoped around Max, begging him for attention.

"I've never patted a Buizel before," he said, cautiously reaching his hand out to stroke its head.

"I think Buizel really likes you," Meredith commented from where she was peeling vegetables.

"Want some more?" Lizabeth asked, holding up a jug of fresh water. I quickly drank the rest of mine and nodded. She poured some more into my glass and moved to Max. Buizel ducked up onto the top bunk and curiously sniffed at a black, cylinder-shaped case. I looked at it. Buizel pushed a green button with his nose and the black casing faded. Instead it showed an egg. It was in water. It was a light blue and sort of see-through. In the middle was a red orb, surrounded by many smaller white ones. I gasped and stared at it. There was something so alluring about it. I wanted to reach out and touch it. It was blocked from my view as a green certain was swept across. I shook my head. Kyle smile grimly at me and walked away. Buizel poked his head back out and looked at me. Did he know that I was fascinated by the egg?

"Hey May, are you ok?" I snapped out of my daze as Max waved his hand in front of my face.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I mumbled.

"So how old are you kids?" Meredith asked.

"Well, I'm 18," Ash said proudly.

"I'm 24," Brock said.

"I'm 15," Max grumbled.

"And I'm 17," I sighed.

"Well that's nice," Meredith said.

"Your show must be really awesome," Ash exclaimed, changing the topic, "What do you do?"

"Would you like to see?" Shep asked, coming up behind us. Ash nodded enthusiastically.

"Well, we could take you along with us to the next town," Shep suggested.

"Really?" I questioned. This sounded a lot better than getting left to wander the wilderness.

"Sure, why not?" he shrugged.

* * *

The show had been really good. I had really enjoyed it.

"Ash?" a voice called, "Is that really you?" Ash turned around, totally shocked at hearing his name being called. I smiled as I saw her make her way through the crowd. I had seen her before during the performance. She had been watching it so intently that she hadn't seen us. The others hadn't seen her either, but I did.

"Misty!" Ash called. He ran the short remaining distance between them and caught her in a hug. I laughed as I saw Misty blush.

"It's good to see you Ash," she said, smiling and patting his back kind of awkwardly.

"Misty I missed you so much," Ash said, pulling away from her, "It's been a while hasn't it?"

"Are you kidding Ash?" Brock laughed, "You call her almost every day! You see her all the time." Ash glared at the oldest of my travelling companion.

"It's not the same as seeing her in front of me," he said.

"Hey May!" Misty called, waving to me. She ran to me and we hugged. It _had_ been a while since we had caught up. The last time we had seen each other like this was for Ash's 18th about three months ago.

"How come you hugged her and not me?" Ash grumbled. Misty poked out her tongue childishly.

"Hey Misty, how have you been?" I asked.

"I've been great," she replied, smiling, "I can't believe it! You've grown again since I last saw you."

"That tends to happen Misty," I laughed, "but I have to wonder what you're doing all the way out here?"

"Well, my sisters have finally decided that I had been cooped up in the gym for too long. They said that they could handle it and promised me that they would battle earnestly instead of just giving out the badges," she explained, "so they let me go. I figured I might want to travel around, maybe earn my own gym badges while learning all about water Pokémon. I heard that the Marina Group was coming here and I thought it was a perfect opportunity to see it, seeing as I was already close by. Then I saw you guys here and well, you know the rest."

"Misty you could travel with us," Ash suggested.

"That would be a great idea," I agreed, "we would get to talk more often and I wouldn't have to wait hours for Ash to give up the phone." I shot a sly look at the boy and he blushed lightly.

"Shut up," he mumbled, "I do not take hours on the phone." I rolled my eyes.

"Well," Misty giggled, "if it stops an argument over the phone, then yes, I'll travel with you guys."

"Always the peacemaker, aren't you?" Ash groaned sarcastically.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Misty demanded.

"Nothing!" Ash exclaimed, raising his hands in defence. I rolled my eyes at their childish behaviour. They were meant to be eighteen, but they still fought like they were still kids. I walked over towards the caravan. Shep had offered to take us to the next town and I was glad when Brock accepted. I caught sight of Buizel. He was stumbling onto the porch, the black case with the egg inside precariously balancing on his back. He wobbled again and I ran forwards just as he fell. I caught the case, accidentally pressing the green button. The case lit up again, giving me another good look at the egg. It was really strange. The glow it gave off seemed to warm me from the inside out. I didn't get much of a look though because a hand reached out and pressed the button, making it go black again. I looked up in surprise and was met with vibrant green eyes. I blinked as the person gently took the case out of my hand. I looked at the person. They were wearing all black. Over their face was a black mask, and a black hood covered their head. I couldn't tell any of the features of this person; only their stunning green eyes. The person waved a finger at Buizel.

"Wait!" I called as the person started to walk away. They stopped and turned to face me.

"Who are you?" I asked. The person shook their head and continued to walk away. I followed after them. They handed the case to the clown I saw before and whispered something into his ear. The mysterious person pointed to me. The clown looked at me and nodded. The person started to walk away again.

"Wait!" I yelled, "Who are you?" I didn't get any response. I felt like I should know who it was. Those eyes were just too familiar, but I couldn't place it.

"C'mon May!" Ash yelled, "We're leaving now."

* * *

**A/N: I know I made them older than they are in the movie, but I think they would be better if they were older. So what do you think? The chapters for this will probably be a lot shorter than I usually write them, but I hope they still satisfy.**


	2. Dream

**Dream**

May's POV

It was dark and I really wanted to get some sleep. I could tell the others were the same. Ash was rubbing his eyes sleepily, Max was almost dropping out of his chair, Brock was yawning loudly and Misty was trying to keep her eyes open. What time was it anyway?

"I suspect you kids are tired now," Meredith said. We all nodded and Brock yawned again as if to prove the point.

"I'll show you where you can sleep," Lizabeth said.

"Tha-" I was cut off by a loud thump. I turned around. Max had finally fallen off his seat. The impact must've woken him back up because he was looking around dazed.

"Yeah, that would be a good idea," I laughed as Max slowly stood up. He looked shocked. A lot more shocked than you would have expected from a fall.

"Max, what's wrong?" Ash asked, apparently noticing as well, "you look like you've seen a ghost."

"I swear I saw someone out there," Max answered, pointing out the window. I turned. There was no-one there. At least no-one I could see. I felt like there was someone out there. My eyes caught movement, but when I looked in that direction, there was nothing there again.

"I doubt it Max," Brock said, "you must've fallen harder than you thought." Max shook his head. I don't know if he was trying to clear his head, or if he was disagreeing with Brock, but it wasn't mentioned again. I shrugged. Maybe Brock was right, but I couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching me.

"C'mon, let's get you to bed then," Lizabeth said. She walked forwards and we followed her. She opened one door. It had a bunk bed in the corner and a mattress laid out on the floor.

"For the boys," she explained, seeing our confused expressions, "May and Misty will sleep in my room." They nodded and headed in, Max instantly claiming the top bunk. Ash pouted and exclaimed indignantly as Max poked out his tongue. Misty threw Brock a sympathetic look before we followed Lizabeth further down the hall. Lizabeth had a single bed in the corner. On the floor were two mattresses, both next to each other.

"I hope you don't mind them being so close," Lizabeth said, "I don't have much room in here."

"It's fine," Misty said, smiling.

"Yeah, just as long as Misty doesn't roll over in her sleep," I teased. She rolled her eyes at me.

"Whatever May," She said. I couldn't help but notice that her reaction to my teasing was a lot different to Ash's. If Ash had said what I did, she would have blown up at him. I'd asked her once if she had a crush on Ash. She said no. I wanted to believe her, honestly. Who was I kidding, the girl was in denial. I wasn't sure if anyone else had noticed it or not.

"May? Are you still there?" Misty snapped me out of my thoughts by clapping her hands in front of my face. I blinked and jumped.

"I'm fine!" I exclaimed quickly, "I just spaced out that's all."

"Alright May," Misty mumbled. I yawned sleepily and realized just how tired I was. Forget brushing my teeth tonight. I was tired. I groaned as I flopped down onto the mattress. I snuggled in quickly and closed my eyes. Misty and Lizabeth both shrugged and did the same. The light was switched off.

"Goodnight guys," I whispered.

"Goodnight May," was the reply.

* * *

I turned over again, making sure that I was still on my own mattress. I was so tired, but I couldn't sleep. So many questions were bouncing around in my brain. What was the Pokémon that was inside that egg? I'd never seen an egg like that before. Why did it have to be kept such a secret? Why wouldn't anyone let me see it? Who was that mysterious person? What were they doing her? Did Max actually see someone outside? It would explain the feeling I had gotten. I felt a sudden warmth come over me. It felt peaceful. I slowly felt myself relax. Maybe I could sleep now. I opened my eyes just a crack. There was a red glow in the room. Normally this would freak me out, but it was calming. I slowly closed my eyes again, finally drifting off into sleep.

_***May's dream***_

I opened my eyes. I gasped in surprise. I was in water. My shoes and my bandana were both gone. All around me were different water Pokémon, all swimming the same direction. I smiled, seeing a group of Luvdisc swimming next to me. A group of Remoraid circled around me and I spun around with them as they passed. I laughed. This was great. I could breathe underwater and it didn't even feel wet to me. It felt like I was flying. I gasped, seeing something up ahead. It was a structure of sort on what looked like a huge bubble. Getting closer I saw that it was a massive, diamond shaped spiral building of sorts. It had many pillars, columns and great big arches. It looked like an underwater sea temple. It had a soft pink glow reflecting onto the white, marble-like surface. Wow. I heard a cry and I turned my head slightly. A little Pokémon, glowing white swam towards me.

'Mana' it cried, 'mana, mana, mana!' It swam around me and I laughed again. It was like a little child. I saw the two long antennas on its head and a red jewel in the middle of its chest. Out of the corner of my eyes I spotted movement. A girl swam passed me. She turned to face me. She had long orange, wavy hair. Her eyes were blue and her skin was pale. On her head was a tiara. She looked a lot like Misty.

"Misty?" I questioned. She laughed, shook her head and continued to swim. Maybe she just looked a lot like Misty.

"Wait, don't go!" I yelled. I swam faster, kicking my legs behind me in a furious attempt to keep up. I couldn't match the girl's speed. As I watched her elegant movements, I was reminded of a mermaid. Something brushed up beside me. I turned quickly. The mysterious person from before, still clad in all black had swam next to me. He turned his head to me. I gasped in surprise. Instead of green, I was looking into turquoise coloured eyes. The Pokémon next to me darted out and away from me, following after the mermaid-like girl.

"Wait!" I yelled, "Don't go! Please!"

* * *

"Stop!" I yelled, "Don't go!" I sat up and opened my eyes. I blinked in surprise. I wasn't under the water anymore. I was in Lizabeth's room, on one of the spare mattresses. Sunlight shone through the window.

"What's wrong May?" Lizabeth asked.

"Uh…Nothing," I mumbled.

"Morning," she said brightly. I looked at the bed next to me. It was empty and the bed sheets were messily thrown to the side.

"Good morning," I replied, still dazed, "Where's Misty gone?"

"She went outside," Lizabeth shrugged, "she was wondering if you had a bad dream about her or something."

"Why?" I asked.

"You were reaching out to her yelling 'don't go'," she explained, "you settled down again for a while when Dryden came in and then you started yelling again."

"Who's Dryden?" I asked, very confused. I don't remember anyone like that. Maybe it was the clown.

"You'll see him some time," she promised, "he told me he'd drop in again."

"Oh." That wasn't much to go from.

"Well you should probably get up now," Lizabeth suggested, "the rest of your friends are already up and about." I took her advice and got up. I yawned and stretched before heading into the bathroom. After a nice hot shower, I was dressed and ready to go. I looked around. There was no-one here. I shrugged and headed out. I jumped down the stairs, but as I landed, I wobbled slightly. Before I could fall, someone had caught my arm.

"Thanks," I mumbled. I looked up and gasped in surprise. It was the mysterious stranger again. Except, like my dream, turquoise eyes stared back into my own.

"I could have sworn your eyes were green before," I muttered. The person shook their head. I guess I must've been seeing things. His eyes weren't green after all. Maybe I just missed him too much. Drew. I hadn't seen him for ages. He'd mysteriously gone missing for the past 6 months and as crazy as it sounded, I missed him a lot. I would give anything to hear his voice, see him. I couldn't even call him. I didn't have his number. It was quiet between me and the other person.

"So, who are you?" I asked. The person shook their head and pointed down the hill where all my friends were. I got the message, even if they didn't speak. I had to go down there. I nodded and started walking towards them, the person following behind me.

"You don't talk much do you?" I questioned, breaking the silence between us. The person shrugged. I got down to where the rest of my friends had set up tables. Ash and Max were getting water from a nearby river. Meredith and Lizabeth were preparing some sort of soup while Kyle overlooked it, Misty was making a salad and Brock was with Shep by the fire. The clown sat nearby, juggling and the mysterious person followed me as I walked to Lizabeth.

"Can I help somehow?" I asked.

"I don't think so," she answered, "we've got it covered." Ash and Max lifted their containers of water onto the table.

"Got the water," Ash told us. I took a cup and poured some of the water into it. Lizabeth finally looked up.

"Oh, you've met Dryden May," Lizabeth said, "I'm glad."

"This is Dryden?" I questioned, almost choking on the water.

"Yeah," Lizabeth said, looking confused, "why? Didn't he tell you?"

"Nope," I replied, "this guy hardly talks at all." I jerked my thumb back in his direction.

"That's funny," Lizabeth ponder aloud, "he was talking before." Before I could reply, Brock ran towards us.

"Presenting your freshly baked pizza!" He called. I sighed. I guess mysterious guys who didn't talk would have to wait until after.

* * *

It was quiet around the table…A little too quiet. I had no idea what had come over us. Usually Ash would be making some comment about food or Max would be talking about some Pokémon he wanted or Brock would be talking about a pretty girl he met. There was nothing though. There wasn't even a childish fight going on between Ash and Misty about his table manners. Dryden still wasn't talking either. He just kept quiet, occasionally glancing over at me. Finally he got up and walked away again. That was confusing. He didn't even say goodbye.

"Last night I had the strangest dream," I spoke up, breaking the silence. I just couldn't take it any longer.

"Really?" Misty questioned, looking at me. It was obvious that she was curious as to me actions.

"Yeah," I replied quietly, "a Pokémon I'd never seen before was making its way to what looked like some underwater sea temple. And then a sea princess that looked lots like Misty swam around me and the Pokémon followed. Then suddenly Dryden was by me and I was trying to catch up to the Pokémon."

"I really wanted to go with it," I continued after no-one responded, "I felt like it needed me."

"An underwater sea temple," Brock muttered.

"I'd sure like to go there," Ash said.

"But it was just a dream," Max sighed, sounding disappointed.

"Well, not entirely," Kyle spoke up.

"You two girls explain," Shep said. Meredith nodded.

"Tell me, have you ever heard of the people of the water?" she asked.

"No," I answered.

"Who are they?" Brock inquired.

"You know, I've had a similar dream," Lizabeth admitted.

"You see, our family is made up of descendants of the ones who have been called the people of the water," Meredith continued.

"And there aren't many of us left," Lizabeth interrupted.

"Amazing," I breathed.

"The water people travelled together and lived in peace and harmony with the water Pokémon," Meredith explained, "so in order to receive the ocean's blessings and show their gratitude to the Pokémon, our ancestors built what has come to be known as the sea temple."

"That's the temple in your dreams May," Lizabeth cut in again, "you even got the name right."

"The people of the water still see the temple in their dreams," Shep sighed.

"A memory written straight into you DNA," Brock muttered, "that's just…awesome."

"The temple itself has been hidden for years and the people of the water have been waiting for the heir to return harmony once again," Meredith finished. I shivered, feeling something bad come over me.

"What's wrong May?" Misty asked, finally speaking up, "it's not cold."

"I feel…I feel like something bad is happening," I said slowly. I was sure that the others were going to laugh at me. The clown quickly got up. They ran up towards the caravan. Puzzled the rest of us followed. I froze, seeing three familiar figures holding the egg case.

"Team Rocket!"

* * *

**A/N: I know I changed the dream slightly, but hey, it wouldn't be a twist if I didn't change it somehow. I hope it still makes sense though, especially with Dryden. He's the mysterious person with green eyes, though it turns out that he actually has turquoise eyes, not green. I know a couple of you thought it was Drew, well, there you are. May finally found out who it was.**


	3. Chased

**Chased**

May's POV

"Prepare for trouble with the things you see," Meowth said, sounding exactly like Jessie.

"These earring are just not me," Jessie said, speaking like James.

"An evil as old as the galaxy."

"Sent here to fulfil our destiny."

"Meowth that's me," James exclaimed in Meowth's voice, jumping and moving his paws up and down. I blinked. We all looked at each other before cracking up laughing. They had somehow been switched.

"This isn't working," Jessie said in Meowth's body.

"Who cares?" James said in Jessie's body, "with this baby we'll never have to work again." He gestured to the egg case in his arms. Oh no. They jumped down and started running as the clown took off after them. I ran after him. That egg held some sort of special connection with me. I had no idea how, but it did. The clown stopped and scowled as they flew up in some sort of flying machine.

"Pikachu, thunderbolt," Ash commanded.

"Wait," the clown finally spoke, "they have something important, we can't risk damage."

"Right," I agreed. He turned and looked to the side. I followed his gaze and saw a Fearow.

"A Fearow!" He exclaimed, pulling out a capture styler, "capture on." I blinked in shock.

"Pikachu, you go too," Ash said, apparently not nearly as stunned as I was. Pikachu climbed on the Fearow's back as he flew passed. The Fearow looped around the balloon and Pikachu jumped off. I squinted to see what was happening. Pikachu tackled James in Jessie's body and took the egg case into his hands. Pikachu fell off the edge while James almost fell off the other side. Fearow looped around and Pikachu landed safely on his back again. The Fearow circled up next to the balloon. The Fearow poked a hole in the balloon and Team Rocket was sent flying into the distance.

"We're blasting off again!" They yelled as the disappeared into the horizon. Fearow swooped low and Pikachu jumped off into his trainer's waiting arms. Lizabeth took the egg case off Pikachu and it was only then that I finally snapped out of my daze. The clown closed his capture styler and the Fearow flew loose again.

"You're a Pokémon ranger," I gasped, finally connecting the dots. The clown turned and nodded. He took off his wig to reveal thick blonde hair. He took off his red nose and carefully wiped off the coloured shapes that had been painted onto his face.

"Jack Walker," he said introducing himself. He winked one of his green eyes at me.

"Call me Jackie," he smirked. My eyes widened. Greens eyes and that smirk! My mind drifted again to my rival. I missed him so much.

"Hello May, are you there?" Ash asked, waving his hand in front of my face, "We're heading back down again." I snapped out of it and nodded. I had to stop letting my feeling take over me like this.

* * *

"You see," Jackie explained, "I'm on a mission right now and the Marina group has been helping me hide."

"We're sorry we couldn't tell you guys," Lizabeth apologised, "but we weren't allowed to. It's a secret you know." She handed the case to Jackie.

"This is the egg of a Pokémon called Manaphy," Jackie continued, pressing the button on the case again, "My mission is to see that it hatches and then return it safely to the sea temple." I leaned in close, the egg mesmerising me again.

"Wow," I breathed.

"I've heard a lot about Manaphy," Max spoke up, "It's supposed to be really rare and hardly anyone sees one."

"That must've been the Pokémon I saw in my dream."

"You mean you got to see it," Max exclaimed, "You're lucky May." It was then that I realized that I had accidentally spoken out loud. I blushed slightly. I froze, feeling the ground beneath me shake a bit. A strange sound filled the air. I turned towards the noise. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Jackie scowl. He took out his phone and quickly dialled a number, yelling something that was drowned out by the noise of the approaching helicopters.

"Quick, everyone!" Jackie yelled, "We've got to get to the trailer!" Two Beedrills were released. My eyes widened, but I wasted no time in turning around and running like the rest of my companions. There was a split in the road. To my dismay, Jackie and Ash went one way, while the rest of us went the other. Max turned to look behind him.

"Max hurry," I gasped as he slowed down slightly. I took his arm and started to drag him along. A Beedrill flew down in front of us and Shep only just managed to avoid it. One came from behind us and we again started running. Another fork in the road came and to my horror, we split again. Shep, Lizabeth and Brock went to the right, while Max and I went to the left. I gripped Max's hand tightly. We just had to make it. I looked down the side of the cliff to see Jackie running with the egg case covered by a cream cloth. A gasped in horror when a rather large man, looking like a pirate, grabbed the cloth.

"May keep going!" Max shouted, now pulling me as the Beedrill chased after us.

"Ash!" I exclaimed, seeing him ahead. I spotted the egg case in his hands and sighed in relief.

"We gotta get out of here," Max exclaimed. A man dressed in blue stood in front of us, a Beedrill by his side.

"You think you're so strong don't you?" He said smirking. What was with that smirk today? Was everyone trying to remind me of Drew? Now is not the time to think about Drew, I told myself as the man ordered a pin missile. Pikachu used thunderbolt and I ran up the other path.

"Beedrill stop them with sludge bomb!" Ash jumped back, barely avoiding getting hit by the attack, but the egg flew out of his hands. I gasped as it came towards me. Drew told me I was clumsy and I usually didn't mind too much, but right now I was hoping that he was wrong. I sighed in relief as the egg landed safely in my arms. I hugged it close to my chest. I ran as fast as I could, away from the man. I felt that certain warmth come over me and I looked down slightly. I stopped as I saw the egg was glowing red.

"It's glowing," Max exclaimed.

"Give me that!" The pirate man from before jumped from the rock above. I ran away, but found myself backed against the wall.

"That belongs to me," he growled.

"Manaphy doesn't belong to anyone!" I yelled gaining some courage I never knew I had.

"Anything that has no owner belongs to me!" he snapped. He reached down and his hands closed over the case. Another pair of hands pulled at the man's face. I looked up to see Max.

"Don't you dare touch my sister," Max growled, trying to pull the man away. I struggled to keep my grip on the case as he tugged it. This man was strong. I stumbled back as the lid popped open, the egg flying out into the air. The man looked up. I watched in horror as it arched higher. I dropped the case and ran towards it. I jumped out to catch it just before it fell. I gasped in pain as I hit the ground. My skin stung. I would definitely have a few cuts and grazes to add to me collection of injuries, but I had the egg safely in my hands again. It continued to glow brighter, until red light shone out at all directions, like what I saw before my dream.

"May, give that to me!" Jackie called. I ignored him and slowly stood up. Something was telling me not to let go just get. The man and the boys got into some sort of fight, but I ignored that as well. I focused on the egg. It glowed white. My eyes widened. I'd seen this before with my Eevee. It was hatching. It sprouted two antennas and I had to close my eyes. It was too bright to look at. When the light died down and I dared to peek again, I saw a small blue bundle in my arms. It was exactly like the Pokémon from my dreams. It opened its blue and yellow eyes, looking at me. I smiled at it. Its eyes focussed on me and then something behind me. I looked up to see Dryden looking over at us. He backed up and quickly ran away again.

'Mana!' the Pokémon cried. It started to cry. I gently started rocking it, cooing to it softly. I heard the car and trailer pull up and Manaphy cried more, apparently not liking the noise.

"Quick guys!" Lizabeth called. I ran and ducked into the trailer.

* * *

The car took off, pulling the trailer behind it as I stood in Lizabeth's room. The rest of my friends crowded around me. In my arms Manaphy was still upset. I rocked him gently, cooing to him softly as I walked around. Manaphy slowly stopped and looked up at me. I let out a small giggle and Manaphy did the same. I sighed in relief and sat down on Lizabeth's bed.

"You don't mind if I sit here?" I asked. Lizabeth shock her head. Manaphy's eyes slowly started to close as he yawned. I gently rocked him until he was asleep.

"I think he's finally calmed down," Lizabeth stated.

"Manaphy must be tired," I sighed. My arms were starting to cramp from being in the same position.

"I can take over if you want," Meredith offered, holding out her arms.

"Thanks," I said, handing him over. Manaphy woke up as soon as he was transferred. He started to cry again. I stretched out my arms as Meredith tried rocking him back to sleep.

"I think Manaphy prefers you May," she sighed, sounding almost disappointed. I held out my tired arms once again and Manaphy cuddled into them. I hummed gently.

'Mana' he cried out happily and soon fell asleep again. Misty grinned at me.

"What?" I questioned.

"Manaphy thinks you're his mum," she exclaimed.

"That's true," Brock agreed thoughtfully, "often whoever a Pokémon sees after hatching is assumed to be its mother."

"I'm a mum," I breathed. I looked down at the sleeping bundle in my arms and smiled. I could work with being a mum. I was already Eevee's mum, now Glaceon. Pikachu jumped from Ash's head and climbed onto the bookshelf. Ash looked at him curiously. Pikachu pointed to the skylight. Ash awkwardly climbed up and pushed it open.

"They're back!" He yelled, jumping down and slamming the skylight shut. Meredith ran up ahead and must've told Kyle to drive faster because the caravan lurched forwards. I held Manaphy close as something sharp poked through the roof. It let out three other spikes, making it impossible to pull back out. They had caught us. Another one came through as Shep opened the door.

"Everyone!" he exclaimed, "We have to move up to the front." I got up, trying to hold both my balance and Manaphy. Max jumped into the car while Misty followed. I stumbled as I tried walking across the metal bar in between.

"Help me!" I squealed as I tumbled forwards. Misty caught my arm and dragged me in. Brock followed and turned back to help Lizabeth in. Ash ran across and then Jackie and finally Shep brought up the rear. He opened a panel on the side and flicked a switch. The trailer disconnected and went flying off the side of the road, pulling two helicopters with it. I sat down and buckled myself into one of the seats as we came into the cover of the trees. I looked down. Manaphy was awake now and looking around. It looked lost.

"It's ok," I cooed to it, "everything will be fine." I cuddled him close, rubbing my cheek against his. He seemed to be looking for something or someone and I wondered who or what it was.

* * *

I continued to rock Manaphy gently. The car soon stopped in front of an old ruin.

"Everybody out," Shep commanded. I undid my seat beat and quickly followed everyone out. We all headed into the ruin. There was an urgency in the air as we walked down the stairs. I blinked in shock upon coming to a dead end.

"Where do we go now?" Misty asked, sounding panicked. Ash came up next to her and put him arm over her shoulder.

"Don't worry," he said, "I'm sure they know what they're doing."

"But that pirate is following us," Misty complained, "We don't have time for this."

"I'll protect you!" Ash said, determinedly. In the dim light, I saw Misty's cheeks slowly turn pink. I giggled slightly. Shep walked up to a small red jewel on the wall and held up his bracelet against it. It glowed and a blue pattern appeared around it. He reached forwards and placed two fingers on the pattern. He then turned it like it was a dial. It glowed and the wall opened. My eyes widened. Shep turned to us as Lizabeth, Meredith and Kyle walked into the passage behind the door.

"Do you have any water Pokémon?" he asked. I nodded, as did the others.

"In that case it's your turn." I walked through. More stairs. I was trying to balance my walking between being careful and fast. There was a need to get ahead and quickly, but like Drew had told me many times, I was extremely clumsy. I didn't want to drop Manaphy in my arms. I came to the bottom and I saw that the path ended and instead continued with water. Manaphy struggled in my arms and I realized that he wanted to go down. I gently placed him on the ground. He immediately jumped into the water and started swimming around, jumping out of the water whenever he felt like it. Kyle released his Dewgong into the water and waded into the water. He held on tightly to his Pokémon and steered it away from the edge. Shep went next, releasing his Seaking. Meredith used a Poliwhirl and Lizabeth released her Gorebyss. Ash stood up, and took out his Pokémon. He released his Corphish. Misty followed with her Starmie. Finally snapping out of it, I released my Wartortle. Yeah, Squirtle had evolved. Brock released his Marshtomp. Buizel hoped around Max's legs. I had forgotten about him. Apparently he wanted Max to use him. Max laughed as Buizel got into the water and beckoned for Max to hold onto him. Max shook his head and put the Pokéball he was holding back in his pocket. I was wondering what water Pokémon Max owned. I hadn't seen it yet and he certainly hadn't told me about it. Manaphy swam around me and then led the way down the halls. We all followed him, only half of us actually knowing where we were going. Better not get lost.


	4. Impostor

**Impostor  
**

May's POV

The tunnel ended and I found myself looking around a massive dome-shaped room. It looked amazing. There was a platform at the very end and Kyle headed straight for it. He let go of Dewgong and recalled him, walking up the stairs. Lizabeth, Meredith and Shep followed. I looked at Ash. He was close to Misty. Really close I noticed. A lot more close to her than he ever got to any other girl. I hid another giggle behind my palm as I got to the stairs.

"Thanks Wartortle," I said, recalling him. My other friends followed my example. I turned towards where Kyle was. He was looking around puzzled.

"There's some sort of lever here," he mumbled, "that lit this place up, but I don't know where."

"It has to be around here somewhere," Shep muttered, feeling along one of the pillars, "My grandfather told me it was here."

"It's been a long time since that grandpa," Lizabeth laugh, joining in the search.

"Let me try," Misty said stepping forwards. She walked to one of the far pillars and gently pushed one of the rocks up. The windows and the roof lit up, the stain glass designs on them shining brightly. I gasped.

"Now how did you know where that was?" Shep asked, narrowing his eyes at Misty.

"I don't know," Misty shrugged, "I just had a feeling…" She trailed off and looked away, holding one arm with the other and biting her lip gently. I tilted my head, curious at her strange behaviour.

"Good guess Misty," Ash encouraged, saving her from her embarrassment, "look at all this." He gestured around the room to the patterns. I looked up and gasped. On the roof was a picture of the temple like I had seen in my dream. The core of it shone brightly and there was some sort of blue/purple mist wrapped around it like a scarf. Different Pokémon were looking towards the centre.

"It's just like I saw it in my dream," I exclaimed.

"That's the sea temple," Lizabeth explained, "Samiya."

"Samiya," Misty sighed, staring at the picture longingly.

"Within the temple, there's a treasure called the sea crown," Meredith said, pointing to a window with a crown design on it.

"Sea crown?" Brock questioned.

"Many thieves have appeared over the years and have attempted to steal the sea crown," Shep sighed, "but only the true heir can access the power it holds."

"To protect the sea temple, the last king cast a spell over the temple," Meredith said.

"What kind of spell?" Max asked, sounding curious.

"The sea temple cannot be seen," Kyle explained, "It is protected by a mysterious shield that blends it in with the water. Only the people of the water knew where it was."

"But the sea temple was swept away with the current a long time ago," Shep said sadly, "since then, it continues to drift." Shep turned and pointed to another mural.

"However," he continued, "once a year at the time of the total eclipse of the moon, the sea temple is revealed."

"Then if it can't be seen, how do you find it?" Brock asked.

"Only the true heir can sense where it is directly," Meredith answered, "Some of that sense has been passed down into Manaphy so he can find the general area of where it is."

"Manaphy," I whispered, turning to look at him, jumping in the water, "So that's why all those men were after Manaphy." Shep nodded gravely.

"They wanted to use Manaphy to steal the sea crown," Kyle said.

"We must protect the crown at all costs," Shep said, "so our sea heir can finally restore harmony."

"We must also protect Manaphy," Jackie said, stepping in, "especially from the crusty old codger with the beard."

"Who is that guy?" Misty asked.

"Phantom the pirate," Jackie replied, "he's one mean dude."

* * *

I sat at the back of the row boat, Shep paddling. In the boat in front sat Lizabeth, Brock, Kyle, Max and Meredith. Meredith was standing up to paddle and steered us along. In my boat there was me, Ash, Misty, Jackie and Shep. The tunnel opened out into another large room. I gasped in amazement as the walls glowed blue.

"I want to thank you kids," Jackie said, finally breaking the silence, "you've all been a big help to me up to this point."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ash asked. I gritted my teeth. Don't tell me…

"Once we get out of this grotto, I'm leaving," he said, confirming my suspicions. I watched Manaphy jump out the water, happily calling his own name. I didn't want to leave him just yet. It was exactly what I feared I'd have to do. Even in our short time together I'd grown attached to him.

"Why can't we go with you?" I asked, my shaky voice giving away the wavering emotions I felt.

"You've gotten too involved as it is," Jackie sighed, "This is a Pokémon ranger's job." I stayed quiet as we neared the exit. I blinked rapidly, adjusting to the bright light of day again. Meredith turned the boat and we headed along the edge. Shep steered the boat to follow them. I bit my bottom lip as Manaphy jumped out of the water and into my arms. He tilted his head in confusion as he looked up at me. I cooed to him softly, plastering a smile on my face.

"Here," Misty said, handing me a basket, "it's not much, but it might make a semi-decent cot for him so you don't tire your arms out." I accepted the basket. I put Manaphy down and reached into my bag. I took out a lace trimmed handkerchief and lined it around the basket.

"Oh wait, use this for a pillow," Ash put in, handing me a pink sponge. Why he had a pink sponge with him, I was afraid to ask. I just took it and placed it on one end. I nudged the basket closer to Manaphy as the boats pulled up to a pier. Manaphy looked from the basket to me with big curious eyes.

"Go ahead," I encouraged, "try it out." Manaphy stepped in. He turned around and settled down, fitting perfectly in the basket.

"I know," Lizabeth said when she came to help us out, "use this for a blanket." She handed me a yellowish cloth with orange patterns on it. It took it and gently wrapped it over Manaphy.

"Who wants Ice-cream?" Brock asked, "Lizabeth and I will go get some."

"I do!" I called, licking my lips. The others agreed. Brock and Lizabeth ran off. Manaphy looked up at me. I gently started to hum again until Manaphy slowly dropped asleep.

* * *

"Wow, Manaphy's really sound asleep," Max whispered.

"Must be tried," Lizabeth said, handing me an ice-cream.

"Yeah, after a day like we just had," Ash agreed.

"Not to mention the fact that Manaphy's still only a baby," Brock said. A loud horn sounded and I looked up in surprise. Shep jumped down from the rock he was on.

"That's my ship," he exclaimed, pointing. My eyes widened. It was huge. Much bigger than I had expected anyway.

"It's called the Blue Lagoon," Shep told us proudly.

"Wow!" Misty exclaimed, "that's a huge ship."

"That's yours?" Ash questioned, his eyes widening considerably large.

"Yep," Shep confirmed, "I travelled the whole world on it when I was a young man."

"We'd better go to the docks then," Meredith suggested.

"I guess this is goodbye," Lizabeth said sadly.

"Not yet," I protested, "I…uh…I want to see you guys off at the pier ok?"

"May…" Jackie trailed off, giving me a stern look. I had a feeling he knew what I was thinking. Well, I couldn't help it. I wanted to be with Manaphy for just a little bit longer. I picked up Manaphy's basket.

"Please?" I begged, doing my best cute face. Jackie rolled his eyes, but he was smiling slightly, which I took as an ok. I followed as they made their way down to the docks. When we arrived, I saw that the ship had been tied to the docks with a thick rope. The ramp was down. Three men jumped off. One was really tall, one was really short and the other one was really fat…Not meaning to sound rude or anything.

"You've kept my boat ship-shape all these years," Shep said to the fat one, "always feel free to use it."

"But we wanna go with you," The fat one protested.

There's still so many good times left to share," the tall one agreed.

"All of your kind words are plenty," Shep said.

"Captain," the short one burst out.

"Alright May," Jackie said, coming to me, "I need Manaphy now." I closed my eyes shut for a moment. I held Manaphy close, feeling the warmth he generated to me. I smiled slightly and I opened my eyes, peeking out between my eyelashes. I gently kissed his forehead and then held him out to Jackie. Jackie gave me a smile reassuring smile as he took the basket from my hands, but it did nothing to help the sadness I felt when I watched him walk up the ramp. Meredith and Kyle followed. I looked away. Instead I focused on the three men, who still hadn't told me their names. I guess I would make some up. It would take my mind off it after all. We'll start with the fat one. He was a large man with a yellow t-shirt. On the shirt were blue triangle designs. He also had white pants and a pair of glasses hung around his neck. I tapped my chin thoughtfully. He was older. I could tell by his dark grey hair. Actually they all had dark grey hair, but right not I was just focussed on the fat one. Bob? Nah, too stereotypical. Rob? Maybe, not what I would call a sailor's name. Gus? Yeah, that sounded better. A lot better. Ok, his name was now Gus. Time for the short one. He was wearing a white t-shirt with an orange vest over the top. His pants were a very light brownish colour. He was mostly bald, the only facial hair he had was his dark grey eyebrows. I scratched my head. His ears were pierced and he wore green earrings. What was a good name? Mark? No, Mark was terrible name for this man. Karl? Nah, too close to Kyle and we already have him. Allen? Might've been a viable option, but it didn't seem quite right. Joseph? That was it! Joseph fit perfectly. I looked over the last man. He was wearing a brown jacket and cream pants. On his head, he wore a brown bucket hat. Hmmm…Joe? Definitely not! Way too first-mate-in-a-pirate-book. Paul? Why did I even think about that? I already knew a Paul and he was most certainly nothing like this! How about Steven? Steven was a good name. I frowned slightly. I tried to imagine it. Nope, Steven wasn't right either. George? Surely that would be ok? No? Fine. Harry? Billy? Brian? Larry? Derick? Wait! Larry…Hmmm…I could see him being called Larry. I nodded. He looked like a Larry.

"Hey May," Lizabeth said, snapping me out of my thoughts, "We'll see each other again won't we?"

"Sure," I said, forcing a smile onto my face. I was so fake right now. I only hoped they couldn't see through it.

* * *

I watched as the last of Shep's equipment was backed onto the ship. The ramp was pulled up and the rope was tossed away. I bit my lip, trying desperately not to cry as the ship pulled away. Lizabeth stood at the back, waving to us.

"Bye Lizabeth," Brock yelled, "I'll miss you!"

"I wish we could've gone," Ash muttered.

"I want to learn so much more about Manaphy," Max agreed.

"There's so much more I wanna learn about Lizabeth," Brock cried out. The ship was slow moving, still not quite tearing away from the edge yet. A tear rolled down my cheek. My heart felt heavy.

"Being young means you never turn away from adventure, you know," 'Gus' said.

"What are you afraid of?" continued 'Larry', "This is your chance."

"If you want to go then you should go," 'Joseph' put in.

"There's nothing worse than living in regret kid," 'Gus' finished. I gasped as I heard the distinct cries of Manaphy coming from the ship. In that split second, I made my decision.

"Wait!" I yelled, running along the pier, "I'm coming Manaphy!" I ran faster, furiously trying to catch up.

"Wait for us May!" I heard Ash yell. Footsteps pounded behind me and I was glad for the support. I reached the end of the pier just as the ship pulled away.

"No!" I yelled, reaching out. If only I hadn't waited that long. Ash stopped behind me, grunting as a red light hit him. His body glowed red for a second before it left again.

"This is weird," he said in Jackie's voice. Before I had time to think about it, I was suddenly swept up. I screamed as arms wrapped tightly around me.

"Help me!" I screamed. I looked back. My friends were looking at me with amused expressions.

"What are you just standing there for?" I called, "someone's kidnapping me! Do something!"

"It's ok May," Misty shouted back, "it's only Dryden." I stopped struggling and looked up at my captor. He didn't look at me, but I could tell that it was indeed Dryden. I could tell by his give-away black hood and mask. I was dropped onto the deck. I stumbled and fell over.

"Are you ok May?" Lizabeth asked, helping me up. Soon my other friends were on board too, thanks to Dryden. He looked up at me and I saw his eyes were once again green. I frowned.

"What's going on?" I demanded, storming up to him, "first your eyes were green and now they're turquoise and now they're back to green. What colour are they actually and why do they keep changing?" Dryden shook his head and let out a low chuckle. I shivered slightly. I gasped as I suddenly realized where I'd seen those eyes before.

"Impostor!" I shouted, pointing a finger at him. He shrugged.

"Why May, what do you mean?" Misty asked, "Who would it be?"

"That's not Dryden!" I yelled. I jumped and tackled him to the ground.

"May!" Max exclaimed, "What's gotten into you? Who else could it be?"

"It's James from Team Rocket!" I yelled.


	5. Mystery solved

**Mystery solved**

May's POV

"I don't know whether I should be insulted or amused," he chuckled. I gasped. That was not what I was expecting.

"Drew?" He chuckled again and his hood flipped back, revealing the thick green locks that identified the boy I had missed so much. I instantly changed positions, instead of pinning him to the ground, I was hugging him.

"I missed you so much Drew," I said. I clung to him tightly, afraid that if I let him go he would disappear. I jumped back and stood up, realizing what I was doing. Anger replaced my relief and happiness at seeing him.

"Where were you?" I demanded.

"Away," he said vaguely. I put my hands on my hips and was about to retort when Ash stepped forwards.

"What do you think you're doing?" he asked in Jackie's voice, "You know my mission. You aren't helping."

"Yes, but you don't know mine," Drew replied, standing up quickly, "and I've been doing mine for the past 6 years!"

"What mission?" Jackie in Ash's body spat.

"I can't tell you right now," Drew said, "I'll talk to you later, but for now just trust me ok?"

"Alright, what's going on?" Misty demanded, "How do you two already know each other?

"Oh right," Drew said as if just realizing she was there, "I forgot you guys don't know. I'm a Pokémon ranger too."

"A Pokémon ranger?" Max questioned, "How long have you been a Pokémon ranger?"

"Since I was 11," he shrugged, "and I've had the same mission for that long."

"You must be a terrible ranger to have a mission that long," Jackie in Ash's body muttered. He was obviously still upset at Drew for something.

"Once you hear what it is, you would understand why I've had it," Drew replied coolly, "besides; I have had other missions on the side you know."

"Hang on," I said, "give me time to think this over." Dryden was not James, but he was actually Drew. Ok. Drew was a Pokémon ranger. He has been a Pokémon ranger since he was 11. That's 6 years.

"Wait," I said slowly, "If you're a ranger, why do enter contests and stuff?"

"Being a Pokémon coordinator was part of my cover," he shrugged, "I've been undercover until now."

"Why did you dress up as Dryden?" I asked, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Didn't you just hear what I said? I've been undercover. Of course I couldn't tell you. Dryden has been my disguise. My features are very noticeable in case you haven't realized, so I had to hide them somehow," he explained, "and if you were clever you'd notice my undercover name is actually a mix of my first and last name." I blinked. Drew Hayden. Dryden. Hey it actually was; the Dr from _Dr_ew and the yden from Ha_yden_. That's clever. I wouldn't have guessed something like that.

"Finished staring at me yet May?" Drew asked with a smirk on his face. I blushed, realizing that I had been looking at him the whole time that I had been thinking.

"Shut up grasshead," I scowled, "I was not looking at you. I was thinking."

"About me?" He questioned, his smirk growing.

"About what you just said," I replied, "It's not every day you find out your friend is a Pokémon ranger." If his smirk got any larger, it wouldn't fit on his face anymore, I thought. I turned as I heard Ash intake a sharp breath of air. He shook his head.

"I'm back to normal!" He exclaimed, finally back in his body.

* * *

Drew's POV

Ash turned around and inspected himself, as if to make sure he was really himself. Jackie shook his hands out, like it had hurt him.

"I'm back to normal!" Ash exclaimed, "I can't believe we switched bodies!"

"Well, we did," Jackie huffed, obviously not pleased. I knew why. It was because of my presence. Jackie was a proud ranger and hated it when others interfered with his mission, but this time I had to.

"Is that one of Manaphy's powers?" Ash asked.

"It's called heart swap," I interrupted, "It's one of the ways Manaphy protects himself." I had to talk to Jackie alone soon so that he could understand what I was doing. It wouldn't help anyone if he was like this the whole way.

"The effect wears off after a while," Jackie continued. He glared at me like it was my fault. Manaphy, who had been sitting in Jackie's arms patently, suddenly got tired of just watching. He wriggled around until Jackie let him go and jumped into May's arms.

"You didn't want me to go," she said softly, rubbing her cheek against his, "is that why you switched Ash and Jackie?"

'Mana! Mana!' He cried.

"You make me so happy," May said.

'Happy, happy,' he repeated.

"You were talking!" May exclaimed. Curious, I peered over May's shoulder.

"He was?" Max asked, "hey say Max!" Manaphy spotted me and his eyes lit up. Oh no.

'Mana!' He cried happily. He jumped out of May's arms and into mine. I tried to hold him away from me, but he kept trying to come closer. I had a bad feeling he would be attached to me. When he had spotted me when he hatched, I just knew he'd see me as his dad, but I was hoping he wouldn't recognise me. Apparently he did. I pushed Manaphy away again and his eyes filled with tears. Great. Now what was I supposed to do. He started crying and May glared at me.

"Why did you do that Drew?" May demanded, her hands on her hips.

"Um…" I trailed off, not really sure what to say. She took Manaphy into her arms and gently started to hum. Manaphy settled a bit, but kept his eyes on me. I frowned. It was frustrating. If I hadn't seen his hatching, he wouldn't be attracted to both of us, but now that he was, it was going to be really hard for me. This meant that I would have to spend a lot of time with May…up close and I wasn't used to that. I had always kept my distance to prevent her from getting hurt.

"C'mon Manaphy," May cooed, "Say happy again. Please be happy." Manaphy didn't say anything. May cuddled him close to her.

"Oh please be happy again," she begged, "Why aren't you happy anymore?" Manaphy pouted slightly at me. The way he did it looked a lot like how May would do it and I couldn't resist it. I sighed.

"Let me have him," I said gently. May looked up at me in shock.

"Why?" She asked suspiciously, "you made Manaphy cry. Why would I give him over to you?"

"Just trust me ok?" She hesitated a moment longer before finally holding him out to me. I took him in my arms and cuddled him.

'Happy, happy!' Manaphy cried. May blinked in surprise at me.

"How'd you do that?" she asked. I bit my lip. I couldn't tell her just yet. No, not yet, wait a little longer. The ship slowed down to a stop and Jackie looked relieved for some reason.

"Why's the ship stopping?" Misty asked.

"We can't get to the ocean temple until the prince of the sea leads us there," Jackie explained.

"Who's the prince of the sea?" Max asked.

"It's Manaphy," Lizabeth said, "that's what they call him because he was the closest water Pokémon to the royal line."

"Oh."

"May, you have to let Manaphy go into the ocean," Misty said quietly.

"What? Why?"

"He needs to find his own way," Misty explained, "We need him to guide us because we don't have the heir around to show us." Shep looked at Misty and frowned.

"How do you know so much about Manaphy?" He asked her.

"I'm a water Pokémon trainer," Misty shrugged, "All water Pokémon need to find their own way in the water and I figured Manaphy is no exception. Beside, you kept saying that you need Manaphy to show you the way to the temple of the sea so I assumed that's what you needed him for." Wow. Misty was pretty perceptive. I handed Manaphy back to May, who was looking really distraught.

"He has to do this all by himself," May questioned. She bit her lip as Jackie nodded. I could see the maternal side of her was struggling to know what to do. On one hand she wanted Manaphy to be safe and secure, but on the other hand she didn't want to hold him back from growing.

"Here," I whispered quietly. I put my hands over her and gently led her to the edge.

"Manaphy will be alright, won't you Manaphy?" I said.

'Mana! Mana!' he said happily. May looked up at me and I nodded to her. Manaphy started wriggling n her arms and I could see that it pained May to let him go. Gently I pulled her arms from around him and Manaphy jumped out into the ocean. May stared intently at the water, searching for any sign of him. Manaphy appeared a moment later, jumping up and down happily. May smiled and continued to watch. I let go of her hands and slowly backed away.

"We need to talk," Jackie growled, "Now." I nodded and followed him.

* * *

"What do you think you're doing?" Jackie demanded as we rounded a corner, "You know that if May's bond with Manaphy grows that he won't want to leave. I left her behind because of that and you just brought her back."

"HQ called in shortly after your ship left and told me that I needed to get May and her friends on board," I answered.

"Why would they do that?" Jackie pondered, "They know that Manaphy won't stand for that."

"Don't ask me," I shrugged, "I just did what I was told. They seemed to think it would be better for him."

"Now what was that mission that you've been doing for the past 6 years?" Jackie asked, "You said you'd tell me."

"My mission has been to protect May," I replied.

"Huh? Why does May need to be protected? And why for so long?" He questioned.

"Somehow they knew that May was going to be a special part of the events to do with the sea temple," I explained, "other people knew that too and she's been in danger more than once. I've had to guard her so she wouldn't be disrupted."

"I don't quite get it;" Jackie said slowly, "What has May got to do with this?"

"Haven't you noticed?" I replied, "May holds something very special that no-one else does." I looked out to the girl. She was laughing happily as Manaphy continued to do tricks in front of her.

"Are you sure that's not just personal opinion?" Jackie asked. I looked back at him. His eyes were narrowed.

"I don't know what you mean," I said slowly, blushing slightly. I knew perfectly what he meant. My secret feelings for May, but I wasn't going to openly confess them so easily. I'd had them for 6 years and the only person who had gotten it out of me was Solidad. There was no way I was going to let him find out after ten minutes.

"I still don't quite get what you mean by something special though," Jackie said.

"I don't think I can explain it very well right now," I said, "not without giving too much away. I'll explain when the time come, but you're just going to have to trust me about May ok? Give her a chance. She's very special. There's not another one anything like her."

"Whatever Drew," Jackie sighed, rolling his eyes, "Whatever you do, don't let it get in the way."

"Huh?" I was about to ask what he meant, but he walked back to the others. I bit my lip. I had a feeling I knew what he meant and I didn't like it at all. Not one bit.

* * *

**A/N: Yay! Drew is finally here! I know it took a while, but I had a reason. This chapter was fairly difficult to write though. So many explanations to do. I tried to write it the best I could without making it too boring. I hope it doesn't confuse anyone either. Anyway, from now on this will probably take my twist a little bit more. And Misty and Ash will probably get a little more attention now too.**


	6. Sundown, kiss and breakfast

**Sundown, kiss and breakfast**

Drew's POV

"Drew where are you?" May called. I turned and saw her running towards me.

"What is it May?" I asked.

"Shep said he'd show us something special," she replied, "come on Drew." She took my hand in her and tugged it impatiently. I had to laugh, but at the same time I blushed at her actions.

"Alright May," I said, "I'm coming you can let go of my hand. Unless you want to hold my hand." May looked at her fingers as if she only just realized that they were entwined with her own. She gasped and jumped back.

"I'm sorry," she muttered and continued of her way. We headed down and met up with the rest.

"Alright, down here," Shep said, opening a door on the very bottom level of the ship. May ran to the balcony that was there and tilted her head in confusion. I laughed at her again, but was also wondering why we had been led to a dead-end. Shep pushed a button on the control panel and the metal cover opened up to show an underwater viewing platform. May gasped in wonder.

"Wow!" Ash breathed.

"I know, it's like an aquarium," Misty sighed. She stared wistfully out the window, most likely because of all the water Pokémon. Ash turned and grinned at her.

"I bet you want to go out there and see all of them close up huh?" he asked.

"Nah, this is just as good," she sighed, leaning into him. Ash's eyes widened with shock, but he put an arm around her.

"Yeah, just as good," he repeated quietly. I jumped when I heard a loud thud on the window. I peeked over May's shoulder to see that Manaphy had run straight into the glass. He pulled back, looking shocked. He put his hands against the window and started crying. May pressed her cheek against the glass.

"It's ok," she cooed softly, "it doesn't hurt. You're ok now." Manaphy's eye locked on me.

'Mana!' he cried. I put my hand against the glass. Manaphy rubbed himself against the opposite side and pulled away.

"How do you do that Drew?" May asked.

"How do I do what?"

"How do you get Manaphy to settle down like that?" she asked, "you've done it twice now and the only one who could do that before was me." I smiled slightly, realizing why she was asking.

"Are you jealous?" I questioned.

"What, no!" she exclaimed.

"I think you are," I teased. She huffed and crossed her arms. He swam in front of us and his antennas glowed red for a moment. He changed directions and swam away.

"That's how Manaphy can sense the temple," I explained.

"Oh wow," May breathed, "isn't Manaphy just the best."

"Yeah," I agreed, not being able to think of a different reply. May turned suddenly and laughed.

"What?" I questioned.

"Hang on," she giggled, "I can't take you seriously. Let me fix it." I was confused. What did she mean? She reached up to my face. My chest tightened. What did she think she was doing? Her fingers brushed my face and I froze, staring into her big blue eyes, wondering how she was the only person who could do this to me. She gently lifted the mask, which I had forgotten was still on my face, and pulled it over my head.

"Better," she giggled, putting it in my hands and turning back. I sighed. I could breathe normally again at least.

* * *

Ash's POV

It was sundown. At the front of the ship, Shep, Drew, May, Misty and I were watching Manaphy as he did tricks in the water.

"All alone," Shep said, finally breaking the silence that had fallen with the sun, "that's how Manaphy will travel the ocean."

"How does Manaphy know where to go?" May asked.

"Because Manaphy was close to the royal line, he inherited the ability to sense where he needs to go. It's sort of like an inborn map," Shep explained. I nudged a little closer to Misty as she sighed again.

"Hey what's on your mind?" I asked.

"Huh? Oh nothing much," she replied.

"C'mon Mist," I said, using my name for her, "I know when something's wrong."

"You used your name for me," she smiled, "you haven't done that in ages."

"Would you rather me stop?" I questioned.

"No," she said, "I like it when you call me that."

"stop avoiding my question," I said seriously, "I know when something is bothering you Mist, I've know you for what? 8 years? Please tell me."

"It's nothing you need to worry about Ash," she said.

"Please Mist, I hate seeing you like this," I begged.

"You know Ash, I can't tell you right now," she said, "but when the time comes, you'll be the first one I tell. Does that make it any better?" I curled my arms around her and pulled her close.

"Ash…What are you doing?" she asked.

"Hugging you," I replied.

"I mean why are you hugging me?" she corrected. I smiled as her arms snaked around me.

"Because even though you can't tell me what's wrong, I want you to know that I'm here for you and it'll be ok," I answered.

"Ash…You can be really sweet sometimes you know that?"

"Mm," I mumbled. I was liking the feel of her against me. We fit really well, like we were made for each other. I know it was really cheesy, but it was true. It was hard to explain the exact feel of this moment. All I know it that I didn't want to let go.

* * *

We stayed like that until the sun went down. Shep had left us, telling us that we should go to sleep soon. I could see May was trying not to fall asleep. Drew was watching her as she blinked rapidly, trying to keep herself awake. He looked amused at her attempts as they failed. She slowly slipped off the railing and would have fallen to the ground if he hadn't caught her. He swung her up into his arms and walked away.

"I'm going to out this one to bed," he whispered to me as he came passed, "and then I'll probably head to bed myself."

"Alright goodnight Drew," I replied.

"Night," Misty whispered. When he was gone, Misty buried her face into my t-shirt. I felt something wet soaking through. Was she…Crying? Misty almost never cried. I brought her head up to look at me. Her shoulders were shaking and the tears were dripping down her face.

"Misty why are you crying?" I asked, "What's wrong?"

"I don't know Ash," she answered, "I just…Please don't let me go."

"I won't Mist. Ever," I assured.

"Promise you won't leave me ever," she begged, "Please Ash, don't let me go again." I realized then her need for me. She needed me. She wasn't as tough and independent as she seemed.

"I promise, I won't let you go," I said. I knew she didn't mean just the embrace. She didn't want to be left behind again. She didn't want to be alone. She rubbed her face against me again, wiping the tears off her face. I didn't care.

"Mist?" I called softly.

"Yes Ash?" She looked up at me and all my words flew out the window. I put both hands on the sides of her face and brought mine down. I hesitated and looked into her eyes for approval. They slowly fluttered closed. That was all I needed. I closed the gap between us and pressed a gentle kiss against her lips. It was short and I pulled back quickly, feeling my face heat up. Now why did I do that? Misty was blushing just as much as I was.

"Ah…I-I think I'll go to b-bed now," she stuttered, "goodnight Ash." She broke away and quickly ran down the stairs to the bedrooms. I watched her go before I finally followed after her. I couldn't help but smile. Our lips had fit perfectly.

* * *

The next morning I woke up feeling groggy. I rubbed my eyes. I was really tired. I hadn't slept well last night at all. I kept tossing and turning, my mind lost with thoughts about what had happened. I wasn't going to deny it, I liked it a lot. I was thinking about Misty and I. What were we now? Where did I sit? Did I want anything more? Yes, I decided, I definitely did. I couldn't get it out of my brain just how perfectly we fit together.

"Hey Ash!" May called from outside the door, "you awake? Breakfast is ready." She pounded on the door.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm awake," I called back, "just give me a moment to get ready."

"Alright, be quick," she giggled, "or I'll eat yours."

"Don't you dare!" I yelled. I heard the sound of her running away, her mischievous giggles trailing with her. I frowned. I would have to be quick. I knew she was serious about eating my food. She'd done it before and after that, I'd learnt never to sleep in if I wanted breakfast. I turned the shower on cold, hoping that the freezing water would wake me up. I winced slightly when it hit my skin. It was cold alright and it definitely woke me up. I turned the hot water on. I quickly finished my shower and jumped out. I ran as fast of I could to the kitchen. May was grabbing a second plate. I yelped and jumped forwards.

"May, I'm here, don't eat mine," I exclaimed.

"Ash, this isn't yours," she giggled, "it's Drew's. You can still get yours. You're lucky I can't carry more than two plates." I sighed in relief at seeing that there were still two plates left. Hang on two? I frowned. Who else wasn't here? I took my plate and sat down at the table. Drew wasn't here. Poor guy. May was eating his plate of food. I guess he would have to learn the hard way. I stabbed a piece of bacon and put it in my mouth. Misty! That's who wasn't here!

"Where's Misty?" I asked.

"She said she wasn't feeling well," May replied through a mouth full of food, "and doesn't want to eat."

"Gee May, try swallowing before you talk," Drew said coming to us. May swallowed quickly and looked up at him with her angelic face on.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Drew questioned, sounding suspicious.

"Oh nothing Drew," she grinned. Drew looked down and noticed her second plate.

"Did you really eat my food or is that just a bluff?" He asked.

"She really did eat it," I answered for her, finishing my food, "Trust me, she did the same to me and that's how I learnt never to be late for breakfast." Drew crossed his arms and sat down.

"One day you've seen me after I've been gone 6 months and this is how you treat me," he huffed. He was looking angry, but I could see the teasing in his eyes. I could hear it in his voice, but apparently May couldn't.

"Don't worry Drew," she exclaimed quickly, "There's an extra plate of food still in the kitchen because Misty didn't want any. Don't be upset with me." Drew chuckled and shook his head.

"Well, only if she's sure she doesn't want it," he said.

"I'll go ask her now," I offered. I had a feeling she was 'sick' because she didn't want to see me after last night. I needed to talk to her. I ran around to her room and knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" She asked, "And what do you want? I'm sick."

"C'mon Mist, both you and I know that's a lie," I replied.

"Ash?" she questioned. I went to open the door, but found it was locked.

"Yes, it's me," I sighed.

"I'm not lying Ash," she said stubbornly, "I really am sick and I don't want any breakfast." Gosh she was stubborn. She would even give up breakfast to go along with her lie.

"Then it'll be ok if Drew eats yours because May ate his when he was late," I said. Misty laughed.

"Poor guy, yeah, just let him have it," she replied, "I'll come out this afternoon. I'm just not ready just."

"Ok. Come talk to me when you're out."

"Ok." I walked away. We needed to talk about it soon, or it would just become awkward between us and I did not want that. I didn't like the sound of that at all. Not one bit.

* * *

**A/N: Told you there'd be more attention on Ash and Misty. Well, I did it. Pokeshipping moment. I hope I still got them in character. I'm not used to writing with Ash and Misty. oh well...I guess I'll have to practise them some time.**


	7. Talk

**Talk**

Misty's POV

I slowly unlocked my door and peeked out. It was empty. Good. I didn't want to be seen. Ash had wanted to talk and I didn't want to. I was scared of what he would say. I was only coming out because I was hungry. I had lied so I didn't have to go see him this morning, but I couldn't ignore my growling stomach any longer. I tiptoed down the halls towards the kitchen. If no-one was there, I was planning to steal some food. Who knew I would resort to being a thief? I just wouldn't steal much, I promised myself. I pushed the door to the kitchen open. Great, there wasn't anyone here. I opened the cupboards and the fridge. What could I have? There was a half-finished packet of bacon, most likely from this morning. I licked my lips at the thought of eating bacon. No, I told myself, bacon sizzles and pops, it's too noisy. What else was there?

"Misty?" I jumped, startled by the voice that had called me. Please don't be Ash. Please don't be Ash.

"Do I sound like a boy to you?" she giggled. Had I actually said that out loud? I turned. I sighed in relief, seeing that it was just May.

"Hi May," I said, "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing," she replied, "You said you were sick."

"So I lied," I admitted, bowing my head shamefully, "I'm hungry and I was seeing if I could find something to eat without making too much noise.

"Oh Misty," May laughed, "You're so silly. Why wouldn't you want to come down for breakfast." I bit my lip, not really wanting to say it out loud.

"This has something to do with Ash, doesn't it?" May asked.

"What!" I squeaked, "Why do you think that?"

"Please Misty," May said, "I can see what's going on. I'm not as ditzy and stupid as everyone thinks I am. What happened between you two last night?"

"What if I don't want to tell you," I challenged hotly, putting my face back in the fridge to cool my blush.

"If you tell me, I'll find you something to eat, and if you don't you have to put up with your hunger until lunch in about two hours," she replied. I debated my options. I could eat now or later. I didn't really feel like talking about it. That was the whole reason I was avoiding people today. I had lasted up until now without food, surely I could go a little longer. I closed the fridge, my mind made up.

"I think I'll just-" I was cut off as my stomach growled loudly in protest. May raised an eyebrow. I blushed and put my arms across my stomach.

"Yeah, I think I'll tell, just please get me something to eat," I continued, changing my mind on the spot. She opened the fridge and got a couple of things out, including the bacon.

"Now, while I cook this, you better spill," she said, putting a pat on the stove.

"Ok, so I'll just get this over with," I said quickly, "basically last night I was kinda emotional and Ash hugged me to make me feel better. You feel asleep and so Drew carried you back to bed and-"

"So that's how I got to bed last night," May interrupted, "I was wondering how that happened because I didn't remember going to bed."

"Yeah, it was really cute," I sighed, glad to have a side track, "You fell off the rail and Drew caught you. He then carried you to bed and probably tucked you in. It wouldn't surprise me if he kissed your forehead or something." May blushed furiously.

"Why would he do that?" She hissed.

"Ah…Maybe because it's adorable," I answered, "You two are so cute together."

"Shut up Misty," she growled, "We are not cute. He's lucky I even call him a friend now."

"What do you mean by that," I teased, "I thought he was your boyfriend." I knew he wasn't, but this was good for me. Thank goodness May could get distracted so easily.

"He is not my boyfriend!" May yelled.

"Who's not your boyfriend May?" I shrieked as I heard a male voice behind me. I sighed. It was just Drew. He raised an eyebrow at May who was blushing bright red.

"Um…No-one," she said quickly, "I don't have a boyfriend so that list could really go on for ages if you really want me to list who isn't my boyfriend. Anyway, what are you doing in here?"

"Am I not allowed to get a glass of water?" he questioned. May blinked. She hurried to fill up a glass of water and then thrust it into his hands.

"Hurry up," May growled, "drink it and get out."

"I feel so loved," Drew said sarcastically, rolling his eyes. He quickly drank it and handed it back to May, who had started blushing again.

"I think you better rest," Drew said, "you look like you have a fever." He put his hand on her head and then walked away, leaving May with an open mouth.

"Yeah, like I was saying…" I trailed off, teasing her.

"Shut up Misty," she hissed, "this is all your fault."

"It's not my fault. You're the one who's blushing," I said.

"You aren't getting off that easily, tell me what happened last night," she said, turning her head away. I screwed up my nose. She had remembered after all.

"Ok, straight out…Ash…he…um…" I trailed off.

"Just spit it out Misty."

"He…Ok fine! Ash kissed me!"

* * *

I squeezed my eyes shut, unsure of how May would react.

"He what!" she shouted. I opened my eyes. She rushed over, putting a plate in front of me.

"Tell me all about it," she said, "was it random? Did he initiate? Is he a good kisser? What happened after?" I blinked. She was sitting across me with her elbows on the table, looking at me expectantly.

"Well, it sort of was random," I answered, "I made him promise not to ever leave me and then it just sort of happened. Yes he did initiate it. Yes I thought he was a good kisser and well, nothing really happened after. I was embarrassed and so I ran away. I haven't spoken to him since."

"What are you doing here then?" May squealed, "you have to go talk to him."

"No," I said, "That's why I've been avoiding him. I don't want to talk about it. I'm scared he might say it was a mistake or a friendly kiss or something. I would hate if he did that. I don't think I could bare the pain of another heartbreak."

"Oh Misty," May said softly, "You have to sort this out or it'll get awkward between you two. Ash won't hurt you, he's a good guy."

"How do you know?" I asked quietly, "he's done it before."

"How?" she questioned. I swallowed, trying not to cry.

"I used to love him a long time ago," I started, "I made it so obvious even the people around us could tell, but he never did. He never found out. I had to leave and when I said goodbye, he told me that we'd always be friends. Then what happened? For a whole year, I never got any contact from him at all. It hurt, a lot. And I decided to give up on him. He did eventually come back in contact, but by then, I was over him. I promised myself I would never fall for him again, but just seeing him in person again. I think, I think I'm falling in love with him again." A single tear slid down my face and I didn't bother to brush it away.

"Misty," May whispered, "I'm sorry. That year he was out of contact was probably when he was with me. You see, he met up with me and we were almost always on the move to get to the right cities between contests and gym battles. We never had time to call anyone, but he was always thinking of you. You should've seen his face when he got your lure."

"He did?" I questioned, "What was he like when I sent him that lure?"

"He was cradling it like it was the most precious thing on earth," May giggled, "I remember he went off into a daze and the only thing that brought him out of it was when Pikachu electrocuted him." I laughed, feeling a lot better.

"Misty," May said, "Ash would never intentionally hurt you. You should know he never does anything he doesn't mean, so don't worry about it. You have to talk to him."

"I guess you're right," I said, "thanks May."

"Just go," she laughed.

"I will," I said, "oh and May?"

"Yeah?"

"Tell anyone about what happened in here and you will find yourself looking at my mallet."

* * *

I found Ash, looking up in the sky at Jackie, who was sitting in a parachute…thing connected to the ship with a rope. Pikachu was on his shoulder, also looking at Jackie.

"Being a Pokémon ranger must be so cool," he sighed wistfully. Pikachu nodded. I decided to make my presence known.

"Yeah," I agreed, "I think you'd make a pretty good Pokémon ranger."

"Misty!" He jumped and turned.

"Hey Ash," I said.

"Misty you're out of your room," he said.

"Well, I said I'd come out in the afternoon," I said. He grinned and nodded.

"Look Ash, we need to talk," I sighed.

"Definitely," he agreed, "look Misty, about what happened, I just-"

"I never knew you weren't so dense anymore Ash," I cut him off.

"Huh?"

"You figured out exactly what I meant when I said don't let me go," I said, "you used to be really dense and wouldn't have gotten what I meant by that."

"Well, I guess growing up has fixed that," he chuckled.

"I guess," I repeated.

"Look Misty, I have to know, what did last night mean to you?" he blurted.

"And I was just saying how non-dense you were," I laughed.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"How can you not have figured that out already?" I questioned.

"Figure what out?" He scratched the back of his head. This was it. I was finally going to tell him.

"I love you Ash," I whispered. I bowed my head, just waiting for what would happen next. May had said he wouldn't hurt me, but now I wasn't sure.

"Misty…" he trailed off. I gritted my teeth.

"Ash stop drawing this out," I yelled, "just give me a straight answer. I know you don't want to reject me because you feel you'll hurt me, but just do it because this hurts more."

"I...Misty I'm sorry…I just-"

"Stop Ash," I cut him off, "you don't need to apologise for feelings you don't have."

"No that's not it Misty. I-"

"Please Ash," I begged, "just stop. You're only making this-"

"No you stop Misty!" he shouted, cutting me off, "stop interrupting me. I'm trying to tell you something and you won't let me."

"Go on," I encouraged quietly. I'd never seen Ash look so worked up.

"Misty I love you too," he said, "I was saying I'm sorry for making you believe otherwise." I blinked.

"Ash…"

"Misty, you've been my best friend for ages," he whispered, "I think; I'm finally ready to move on to the next stage. That is if you want to."

"Of course I want to," I assured.

"Then do you want to be my girlfriend?"

"I just said that idiot," I laughed. He grinned and pulled me into a hug. I smiled and snuggled into him. I guess May was right. I had to remember to thank her sometime.

* * *

**A/N: This chapter is so dramatic! Ahh. Just so much drama! Anyway, now that Ash and Misty have sorted everything out, there won't be too much more drama between them. Next I'll be going back to the original plot for a while. I think I've messed around here for long enough.**


	8. Gone swimming

**Gone swimming**

May's POV

I smiled as I peeked out the door. Ash and Misty were hugging each other. I guess that meant that they finally did talk. Good for them. It was about time they got together.

"You know, if you're gonna spy you should make it less obvious."

"Drew," I gasped, turning so quickly that I fell over. He chuckled and offered his hand.

"Are you always that surprised to see me or are you just falling for me?" he teased. I frowned. I was going to take his hand, but now…

"I am not falling for you," I retorted, batting his hand away, "neither am I always surprised to see you. You just scared me, that's all." I stood up and brushed off any dirt that might have been on my clothes.

"Alright then May, whatever you say," he chuckled.

"Are you just here to annoy me?" I asked, "because then you can go."

"No, I came here to ask if you wanted to come to the front of the ship and watch Manaphy," he said, "because he's looking for you."

"He is?" I questioned.

"Yes."

"I haven't been to see him all morning," I gasped, "I've been so focussed on Ash and Misty."

"Well, looks like they don't need your help anymore," Drew said, looking out where I had just been.

"I feel so terrible," I groaned, "How could I have abandoned Manaphy?" Drew turned to me.

"Come on," he whispered, "It's not too late." He gently took my hand and I couldn't help but think how nice and warm it was against my cooler hand. He opened the door to the bow and a blast of cold air hit me. I shivered slightly. Drew dropped my hand. I was disappointed for a moment until I remembered the real reason I was out here. I looked over the rail, searching for the small blue Pokémon among all the other water Pokémon around.

"There he is," Drew told me, pointing, "he's out on that Wailord." I looked to where he was pointing and saw that he was right.

"Manaphy!" I yelled, "I'm over here." Manaphy waved and then the Wailord moved closer to the boat. Manaphy jumped off and into my arms.

'Happy' he called, 'happy, mama' I blinked.

"You called me your mama," I breathed. Manaphy clapped his hands together.

"I'm so happy Manaphy," I exclaimed, rubbing my cheek against his.

'Happy' he repeated.

* * *

Drew's POV

I watched May cuddle Manaphy and smiled slightly. She giggled as he snuggled himself more into her arms and kissed his head gently. I blinked as I felt a spike of jealousy. I frowned. I couldn't be jealous of a Pokémon. C'mon Drew, I told myself, that's low. I did wish it was me that May was cuddling and kissing, but no, I was _not_ going to be_ jealous_ of a_ Pokémon_. A Pokémon that May saw as her child. That made me feel better, but not completely. Why couldn't she kiss me? Why didn't she wrap me in her arms? Stop Drew, I told myself furiously, it's your own fault. I frowned again, frustrated at the thoughts going through my head.

"Hey Drew," May said, waving her hand in front of my face, "Are you alright? You've been spacing out on me and it's really weird. Why are you frowning anyway?" I snapped out of it.

"Sorry May," I said, "just thinking some thoughts I'd rather not have. What were you saying?"

"Do you want to talk about it?" she asked, "it can help a lot."

"I'd rather not," I said, blushing slightly, "anyway, what did you say before?"

"Hmm," she mumbled, tapping her chin as she tried to remember, "oh yeah that's right. The ship's stopped and we're all going swimming. I want to know if you want to come."

"Sure," I replied with a shrug, "why not? It's a warm day after all."

"Well ok," she said brightly, "I guess you better go get your stuff and then meet us down there."

"Alright," I said. May walked away and I watched her go for a moment before I followed.

* * *

I watched Max as he leaped as high and far as he could into the water, curling up into a ball to make a bigger splash. Buizel followed him. Ash swam out onto the deck.

"C'mon Misty," he begged, "You gotta come in."

"Ash I already told you," she groaned, "I'm not really ready."

"It's been 20 minutes since you last said that!" Ash exclaimed.

"Just go do something else Ash," she mumbled, "I'll come in when I'm ready." Ash nodded, defeated. I really didn't understand why she didn't want to go in yet. Misty loved water and swimming and stuff like that. So why was she so hesitant? Ash came near the ladder next to May. She motioned to the sleeping bundle in her arms and Ash nodded before climbing up. I pulled myself up onto the deck. May didn't look like she was having any fun having to babysit like that. I sat down next to her.

"You don't look like you're having any fun just watching," I whispered.

"I am having fun," she whispered back, "I love looking after Manaphy." I shook my head, trying to get the wet hair from my face. Water droplets landed all over May.

"Stop it Drew," she hissed in a very low whisper, "you're making me all wet."

"That's not wet," I chuckled as she inspected the few tiny drops that had landed on her, "this is wet." I pulled her close and wrapped my arm tightly around her.

"Drew that's cold," she shivered, "let go."

"No." I rested my chin on her shoulder. It wasn't every day I had an excuse to hug her. She sighed and finally relaxed. Misty got up and went near the edge. She sat down and dangled her feet in the water. Ash suddenly jumped off the edge of the top deck, splashing Misty with water. He surfaced with a cheeky grin. He swam near Misty. He then grabbed her hands and pulled her in. Misty surfaced, gasping for air.

"Ash Ketchum!" she shrieked, "I was going to come in by myself!"

"Shh Misty," he hushed, "Manaphy's still asleep."

"Too late," I murmured as I saw Manaphy open his eyes. He wriggled around and May let him out of her arms. He walked to the edge and then jumped into the water. He waved to May and beckoned for her to join him.

"No thanks Manaphy," she said, "it's cold." Manaphy dived under. Ash and Misty followed.

* * *

I watched as Manaphy, Ash and Misty played around in the water some more. I found Misty could hold her breath for a really long time. Eventually I got tired of just watching. I was getting hot again and having May lean against me wasn't helping me cool down.

"You wouldn't want to disappoint Manaphy would you?" I questioned suddenly.

"What do you mean?" she asked suspiciously, "what are you going to do?"

"This," I chuckled. I let her go and stood up. She sighed in relief until I yanked her up to her feet. She struggled as I started to drag her near the edge.

"Drew! I don't want to go in!" she exclaimed. I chuckled again as I swung her up into my arms.

"Drew," she gasped, "put me down." I shook my head. I ran to the edge and jumped into the water, ignoring the screams that filled my ears. I surfaced. A moment later she came up too, flailing her arms around.

"Drew!" she squealed, "It's so cold!"

"You'll get used to it," I shrugged, "now how about we find Manaphy." I dived under the water. Manaphy spotted me and instantly circled around me happily. Manaphy moved up and soon May followed me. He swam forwards and May clung to him. I swam after them, powering myself forwards with the strong swimming technics I had been taught after I almost drowned on Mirage Island. I came up next to her. She looked at me for a moment before turning back. We swam into a school of Luvdisc. I took a chance and peeked at her. I blinked. She looked so pretty. Her hair was out of its bandana, something that I always like to see, but almost never got the chance. She must've felt my gaze on her because she turned her head towards me and smiled. One of the Luvdisc nudged into me and I was pushed closer to her. Bubbles came from her mouth and she motioned for Manaphy to take her up. I followed after her, surfacing right behind her. She cuddled into Manaphy. Again I felt the need to take May's arm from around him and wrap them around me. I seriously considered doing just that when my arms seemed to move of their own will. I grabbed May's hands and slowly took them from Manaphy. She gasped as Manaphy dived away.

"You need to let Manaphy free to swim by himself," I whispered. I expected a strong retort or her to start getting angry. I didn't expect her to gasp in horror, turn and cling to me.

"Drew!" she squealed.

"What?" I asked, "What are you doing now?"

"Drew, I can't swim," she choked out. I felt guilty.

"Sorry," I apologised, "I didn't know." I put my arms around her as I kicked my feet. Twice I got to hug her. Twice in one day. This was definitely my lucky day, but she did need to learn how to swim.

"Here, I'll teach you," I offered, "then you can swim by yourself."

"Huh? Really?" She questioned.

"Yeah," I confirmed, "I'll teach you one of the easiest ones. You just need to float on your back."

"Drew, I don't want to let go," she cried, "I'll drown."

"I'm right here May," I assured, "I won't let you drown." She slowly peeled her arms away from me. I took one of her hands in my own.

"That's right," I encouraged, "Now slowly let yourself float." She flailed around, trying to keep herself afloat. I shook my head.

"No May, like this," I said. I stopped her. I gently pushed her back up and got her to float.

"See you're floating," I said, "now just hold still."

"Ok," she replied, her voice shaking, "you won't leave me will you?"

"Course not," I promised, "Now what you need to do is kick your feet." She started to do as she was told. I kicked my feet to keep up with her.

"That's right," I encouraged, "now that last thing you need to do is let go of me and spin your hands back around in a circle."

"I don't wanna let go," she said, her grip tightening.

"Trust me May," I begged, "You have to let go." Her breath shook as she slowly released my hands. Her arms whirled around really fast at first before they settled into a steady rhythm.

"There you go," I said "you're doing it by yourself." I rolled onto my back and kicked my feet to swim next to her.

"I'm doing it Drew!" she exclaimed, "I'm swimming!"

"Yes," I agreed, "see it isn't that hard." She nudged gently against me and then stopped. She then screamed and started flailing around again. I stopped and swam back to her.

"It's ok May," I hushed pulling her hands to me, "it was just me you bumped into."

"Oh. I'm sorry Drew," she said, bowing her head.

"It's alright," I assured her, "try again. We're almost back to the ship." She stuck out her tongue as she concentrated on floating again.

"Drew?" She questioned when she was floating on our back, "can we just kick our feet? I don't want to let go this time." Her voice was shaky and I just had to give in.

"Alright," I sighed, "but that'll take longer and the sun is starting to sink."

"That's ok," she whispered, "I just don't want to let go this time." She tightened her grip on my hand as if to prove the point.

* * *

We finally got back to the deck. I got out of the water and held my hand down to May. She took it and I pulled her up next to me. I grabbed a towel and threw it over her head.

"Go get dressed May," I said, seeing her shiver, "you look cold." It was true. She did look cold, but what else could I expect? All she was wearing was a blood red bikini. She nodded and started up the ladder. She slipped and I caught her gently.

"Try drying your fingers first," I chuckled. I gently rubbed the towel across her fingers before letting her go again.

"Thanks Drew," she said. She climbed up and I followed after her. We went into our separate rooms and I jumped into the shower. After washing off the salty water I came back out and got dressed. I rubbed the towel over my hair one last time and then hung it over the rack. I shook out my head and opened the door. May came back towards me looking dejected.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"We were late for dinner," she replied, "Ash ate our food."

"I guess he's paying you back," I chuckled. She glared at me.

"I'm sorry May," I said, "I have a muesli bar you can have if that makes it any better." She nodded quickly and I handed it to her.

"C'mon," I said, "we should head to bed now. Wouldn't want to oversleep and miss breakfast."

"I was going to sleep outside in the hammock," she admitted, "I can be close to Manaphy then."

"Ok, I'll come with, just to make sure Manaphy's ok." She nodded. Thank goodness she believed all my really lame excuses. I followed her as she climbed down the ladder again. She settled down in the hammock. Manaphy jumped onto the deck. I spotted him and picked him up.

"Here he is," I said as I placed him on the hammock with May. May smiled as she cuddled with him. I fetched a blanket and tucked it over them.

"I love you Manaphy," She said. I frowned slightly, wanting her to say those three words to me.

"Can you say I love you?" she asked him.

'Mana?' he asked, looking confused.

"Love you," I tried, joining in.

'Mana love loo' he said.

"Love you," May said again.

'Love you,' he repeated, drawing out the 'o' in love.

"Right love you!" May exclaimed happily. She hugged him happily. I was about to leave when Manaphy wrapped an antenna around my wrist.

'Mana love you,' he said, pulling me down. I stumbled forwards and only just managed to stop myself from falling over. He tugged again. Oh no. Manaphy intended for us to sleep together like a family. I bit my lip.

"Not now Manaphy," I said gently. He tugged on my wrist harder.

"Please, just make him happy," May said, "I don't mind." She moved over. I sighed and slipped in next to her.

"Thank May," I said quietly as Manaphy snuggled down between us.

"It's ok," May whispered sleepily, "I don't know why, but Manaphy seems attached to you."

"Yeah…" I trailed off. May closed her eyes and yawned one more time before she joined Manaphy off in dream land.

* * *

**A/N: And that concludes my eighth chapter. This one is a little longer than the rest I think. That whole learning to swim thing was kind of a spur of the moment thing. I hope it doesn't seem too out of place. Drew is already softening. Aww!**


	9. Morning comes

**Morning comes**

May's POV

I woke to something brushing against my lips. Startled, I opened my eyes. It took a moment for them to focus to the bright light. When they finally did, I blinked twice in shock. Drew's face was centimetres from my own and his hot breath was brushing over my face. I looked for Manaphy, but saw he wasn't between us anymore. Somehow last night, Drew and I had ended up facing each other. One of my hands was entwined with his, the other resting gently on his chest. He had his other arm around my body. Any closer and I would be kissing him. Bad thought May! I told myself, you shouldn't be thinking about what his lips would feel like against your own. Bad May. I studied his sleeping face. His eyes were closed softly, looking peaceful as he slept. I ran my eyes over his strongly defined cheek and jaw bones. He had a well-defined face. It was actually very attractive. His nose. It wasn't small, but it wasn't large either. Just the perfect size in the middle of his face. I wondered what it would be like to rub my nose with his. I shook the thought from my head and brought my eyes up again, looking at his eyebrows. Thick, but not bushy. Two lines of green arching neatly over his eyes. Green, like his hair. Thick and luscious. His hair was hanging down to where his green eyes would normally be looking back out at me. Was it soft like I had thought it was? I reached up to push it away. It was really thick and slightly rough, As much as I imagined smooth hair to feel wonderful, somehow this felt better. I rubbed a lock of green in-between my fingers. How was that so addicting. I dropped it quickly and returned my hand back to its original position on his chest. What would Drew think if he woke up to find you playing with his hair, I scolded myself. I looked away from his hair, lest I start fingering it again. I could understand now why fan girls went nuts over him. He was really handsome. I decided to just continue looking at him. No more touching, I told myself, just looking. His ears. Again, not too small, not too big. One was squished against the side of the hammock, but I could see the other. I thought about how my lips would be able to press a small gently kiss behind it. A perfect place. Stop May! I screamed at myself in my head. Where did this come from. I blinked and my gaze lowered again to the one place that I didn't want to look at. The one feature I had purposely left out. His mouth. It was slight ajar as he breathed in and out. His lips were pale pinkish and slightly dry. I reached up and brushed my thumb carefully along his bottom lip. It sent a shiver down my spine. No stop! I told myself, yanking my hand away, I told myself no touching and I mean it. But his lips had me in some sort of trance. I snuggled myself a little closer to him. He was really warm and I was surprised he hadn't woken up yet with all my movements. I found myself staring at his lips again. It wouldn't be hard to cover them with my own. Just lean forward and tilt my head a little. I found myself leaning forwards. Where did all these thoughts of kissing him come from? I didn't…like him did I? Ok I give up. I _like_ Drew a lot. More than just like even. Maybe I actually loved him. I was surprised when he leaned forwards and his lips were gently pressed against mine. He wasn't awake was he? He sighed and moved away. I blinked in shock. His eyes were still closed and he was still sleeping like nothing had happened. I blushed severely. What do I do now? Do I go back to sleep? Do I wake him up? Should I try and get up without waking him? Oh no, he's waking up. Quick May, I told myself, just close your eyes and pretend to be asleep.

* * *

Drew's POV

I had the most interesting dream ever. May and I were dancing on what seemed like the ocean. I don't know how but we were somehow twirling around the ocean. It was quiet and the moon was shining down on us. I held one of her hands and wrapped the other around her waist. She gently rested her hand on my chest and I held her closely. We were so close, we were within kissing distance. I found her then looking up into my eyes with her bright blue eyes. I stopped dancing and just watched as she studied my features, feeling a strange sensation under her gaze. She first looked at my eyes, then my face, my nose and then my hair. I shivered slightly when she reached up and brushed my fringe out of the way. She took my hair between her fingers and smiled fondly as she played with my hair. Then she stopped and settled her hand back down again. I thought that was the end, but her gaze focussed on my ears and finally I watched as her eyes went down to my lips. She reached up again and brushed her thumb along my bottom lip, sending a chill down my spine. She jerked her hand away, but was still staring intently at my mouth. She moved a little closer into me and I watched as she leaned forwards, almost looking hesitant. What was she waiting for? I leaned forwards and closed the gap between us. Her lips were so soft, so real, but I knew I had to wake up now. It was only a dream after all. I sighed reluctantly and moved away. I woke up and opened my eyes for real this time, taking a second to adjust to the light. I blinked in shock, finding myself face to face with the sleeping form of May. Manaphy was gone. I had her tucked against me with one of my arms around her. One of her hands was crushed against my chest between us and the other was being held by mine. I sucked in a deep breath. When had this happened. Our position was so similar to the one in my dream. Had I done this? I looked down at her lips for a moment; they were very close to mine, but thankfully they looked untouched. I was worried that I could have kissed her as well. That could've been bad, especially if she had woken up. I moved myself away, releasing the hold I had on her and nudged her. She sleepily opened her eyes.

"Drew?" she questioned sleepily.

"Yeah," I mumbled, "looks like Manaphy left us alone."

"Oh." I saw that her face had turned slightly pink. I frowned in confusion. I think she was embarrassed. I got up quickly.

"C'mon," I said, "Don't you want any breakfast?"

"Oh right breakfast," she said with a dreamy tone in her voice, "I'm coming."

* * *

May's POV

All through breakfast Drew kept shooting me curious glances. I think it was because I wasn't really eating. I was too distracted. I couldn't stop thinking about what happened. Drew's lips had been dry and slightly cracked and well, not as soft as I would have liked, but it was so much more amazing than I imagined. If only he hadn't been asleep. My first kiss. It wasn't what I had expected. I had thought that it would awkward, not really knowing what to do, how long to kiss for, what I should do with my hands, but this was nothing like that. It was him who had taken control of it. I didn't have to do anything. If only he hadn't been sleeping. If only he'd known what he was doing. I smiled slightly as I thought of the feel that had travelled up my spine and burst in my brain. I was sure now that I loved him.

"Hey May," Ash called waving his hand in front of my face, "are you ok? You've hardly touched your food."

"Yeah," I sighed, "I'm just not that hungry." I pushed my plate away. Misty looked at me and then my plate.

"You can't be serious May," Max exclaimed, "You didn't eat anything last night and now you're not eating breakfast. Are you sick?"

"Maybe," I sighed, earning another strange glance from Drew. I giggled and blushed and everyone looked at my funny.

"You know," I said, "I think I'm going to take a breath of air." I stood up and made my way up to the deck. I sighed as I looked out over the edge. I saw Manaphy and smiled. He was ok after all. He was riding on the head of a Lapras. I closed my eyes, feeling the cool breeze brush over me like Drew's breath had done this morning. I smiled. I think I'd keep it my secret. No-one else had to know, not even Drew himself. Things might become awkward between us if I told him. No this was going to be my nice warm secret. One that I could keep to myself and treasure.

"Hey Manaphy sure looks happy," Ash said. I jumped. I turned to see that Ash, Misty, Drew, Max, Lizabeth and Brock had joined me looking out at Manaphy. I saw him jump of the Lapras and into the water.

"You don't think Manaphy will get lost do you?" I asked, suddenly thinking of tiny Manaphy with all those bigger Pokémon.

"Don't you worry May," Lizabeth laughed.

"But-"

"Oh c'mon May," Max whined, cutting me off, "you worry too much. Children need freedom to grow or else you know."

"Oh who asked you Max," I retorted hotly. They laughed at me.

"Don't worry about it May," Drew said, "remember what Shep said. Manaphy has a sort of inborn map."

"I guess you're right," I sighed. Manaphy jumped of the water, waving to me as he yelled his newly learnt words. I smiled. He jumped high and landed on the deck.

"Hi Manaphy," I cooed, bending down to pick him up.

'Happy love you mama,' he said. He turned and spotted Drew. He jumped out and cuddled into Drew's arms.

'Happy love you dada,' he said. I blinked in shock. Drew blushed slightly.

"So that's why Manaphy is so attached to you," I whispered, "he thinks you're his dad."

"Seems that way," Drew mumbled.

"Aww you two are so adorable," Ash cooed.

"Yeah," Misty agreed, "I can totally see you two as parents." I blushed and this time Drew couldn't hide the pink on his face. I was about to retort when Jackie came in.

"I need to steal Drew for a minute," he said, "is that ok?"

"Sure," I muttered, "not like you have to ask me anyway." Drew handed Manaphy back to me and followed Jackie as he went back inside. I turned and let Manaphy back into the water. When I looked up, I saw everyone else giving me a strange look.

"What?" I asked.

* * *

Drew's POV

I followed in silence as Jackie led me down under the ship. He opened the door to the room with the underwater viewing platform. I walked in, shooting a suspicious glance at him as he let the door close slightly.

"Ok spit it out," I demanded, "why have you dragged me down here?"

"I need you to take this seriously," he said, "You can't let your feelings get in the way of this."

"What do you mean?" I asked, my guard going up.

"You need to separate Manaphy and May," he admitted bluntly.

"But why?" I questioned, "can't you see how happy she is with him? I can't take that away from her. Don't you know how devastated she'll be?"

"Like I said, don't let your feelings for May get in the way," he said bluntly.

"I don't know what you mean," I lied, "but seriously, why do they have to separate. She'll be heartbroken!"

"You know exactly what I mean," he growled, "I've seen the way you act around her. Don't even try to deny it anymore."

"Whatever," I sighed, rolling my eyes, "Couldn't there be another way?"

"No," he replied, "You know that if Manaphy and May's bond continues to grow he won't want to leave and then…" he trailed off.

"Couldn't there be another way?" I begged, "Please, for May's sake? She'll be so hurt."

"Which is why I've chosen you to do the task," he said.

"Why me?" I asked.

"May will need you to be there for her," he sighed, "You're the only one who's going to be able to gently guide her away. She trusts you."

"Are you sure there's no other way?" I asked, cheeking.

"I'm sure," he said, "You need to separate Manaphy and May." I ran my hand through my hair. That was going to be a difficult task.

"Please Jackie," May said, suddenly coming in, "you won't have to worry about me. I'll be fine." I blushed. When had she come in? How long had she been there? How much had she heard.

"What about Manaphy huh?" Jackie questioned. May's eyes widened.

"Put yourself in Manaphy's position just for once," Jackie said, "remember he's the Prince of the Sea and destined to become leader of all the Sea Temple Pokémon until the heir shows up to make peace." I watched her bottom lip quiver slightly.

"I hadn't thought of that," she whispered.

"You can't expect Manaphy to stay with you forever," Jackie said rather harshly. May bowed her head, looking very upset and torn.

"That's the way of nature," Jackie finished in a softer tone. She nodded slightly. I stepped forwards and she looked up suddenly.

'Happy,' Manaphy cried, 'Mana happy, happy.' May's eyes glazed over and she swallowed.

"I'm sorry," she apologised quietly and ran out, brushing passed Lizabeth as she went through the door. Jackie sighed and rubbed his forehead.

"Go on Drew," he sighed again, "go after her. She'll need you." I nodded and went to look for her.

* * *

**A/N: Well I threw in a kiss. Too bad Drew thinks it's all a dream.**


	10. Sea Princess

**Sea Princess**

Drew's POV

'Happy!' Manaphy called loudly, 'Happy love you! Happy!' I tried to ignore it. I wished I could take him and bring him to May and make her smile, but I knew that would be rubbing salt in the wound. I found her, curled up in a ball resting against the hallway wall. Her arms were curled around her knees. She had taken out her bandana and was fiddling with it between her fingers. I knelt down next to her as she looked up.

"Hey," I said quietly.

"Drew," she cried, her voice breaking.

"I know it's gonna be hard," I comforted, "but I'll be here for you." May's eyes filled with tears. She moved closed and tucked herself into me just as her tears spilled over. I put my arms around her, wishing that I could do more to take away her pain. She nuzzled her face deeper into my chest and I felt her moist tears soak through my t-shirt.

"It's ok to cry," I said, rocking her gently.

"Drew," she sobbed, clinging to me. I leaned down and rubbed my face in her hair. If I could, I would've taken some of her pain, but that was impossible. Sure Manaphy going away might hurt me too, but I was not nearly half as attached to the little blue Pokémon as May was. I couldn't begin to imagine what she was feeling, but I wanted her to know that I was here and I wouldn't have to leave. Not again.

"It's ok," I murmured, "you'll be ok."

"What have I done?" she cried, "Poor Manaphy."

"He'll be alright as well," I assured, "you know Manaphy is strong."

"I know that," she sniffed, "b-but." She stopped as more sobs took control of her body.

"It's alright, just let it all out," I whispered. I continued to gently rock her as she cried again. I held her tightly; the only thing I could do.

"I'm sorry Drew," she said eventually, wiping her eyes and her nose, "I've made you t-shirt all damp."

"It's alright," I shrugged, "it's just material right?" She smiled slightly. Well that was start.

* * *

"Hey May," I called softly.

"Mm," she mumbled, looking up at me. We'd just been sitting together; May still curled against me as she calmed herself down.

"You know you were the only one who could've hatched Manaphy. Don't blame yourself for getting attached to him and him to you."

"Why?" she asked, "How?" I had to explain it now.

"Only one of royal blood can hatch Manaphy," I replied.

"What's that got to do with me?" she asked. I sighed. I'd have to start from the very beginning.

"You wanna know why I had to go undercover for the last 6 months?" I asked.

"Yes. What was your mission?" She asked.

"My mission was to protect you," I answered, "It was my first mission and I've been doing it ever since."

"Me?" she questioned, "Why would I need protecting? Hang on. If you were supposed to guard me, why were you always teasing me and driving me away."

"I had to," I said, "I had to push you away or might've been put in more danger from being associated with me. Being a Pokémon ranger sometimes means you create enemies and those enemies will do anything to break you. If you got too close you might've been in harm's way."

"Oh right, I get it," she said softly, "but seriously, why would I need protecting?"

"It's time you knew May," I said, "You can handle the truth now."

"Knew what?" she asked.

"You're special May," I answered, "You don't know it, but you are."

"How so?" she asked.

"You're the sea princess." Her eyes widened.

"Me?" she squeaked.

"Yes you," I confirmed.

"Then how come I haven't known?" she asked, "What am I supposed to do? How am I supposed to bring peace?"

"Settle down May, that's not all I have to say," I said.

"Oh, what else is there then?" she asked.

"You would've known what to do, where to go and things like that, but you were found out," I explained, "people found out you were the sea princess when you were very young. To protect you from the people who were coming after you, the Pokémon rangers gave you something to give you amnesia. You wouldn't remember anything and grow up like a normal human, which you did. When the time came, I was sent to protect you from the people who had started to prey on you again."

"How would that've helped me?" she asked, "If I didn't know what to do, wouldn't that disrupt what had to happen in the ocean and stuff."

"They already thought of that," I answered, "You see, you were the only one found out. You have and older sibling."

"Older sibling?" she repeated, "but that can't be right. Max is my only brother and he's definitely younger than me."

"You do have an older sibling," I confirmed, "but you two were separated into two different families so they would be protected. People wouldn't know your sibling. It's that older sister or brother of yours that is the rightful heir to make peace."

"I still don't understand," she said, "If my older sibling is the one to take over, wouldn't they go for them?"

"They don't know who your older sibling is," I replied, "no-one does except that person themselves. And you May. Even though you can't remember anything, you will one day be able to reveal who that person is."

"Oh."

"Yeah…But don't worry about it," I said, "It will come naturally." She nodded and went back to silence.

* * *

"So Drew?" she said eventually, "tell me about being a Pokémon ranger. You told me about my life, so why don't you tell me about yours? What's it like being a ranger? How did you become a ranger?" I was surprised. I didn't expect her to take the news so well or so quickly.

"Well, being a ranger can be fun," I said slowly, "You get missions to protect all different Pokémon and aspects of nature. It can be dangerous. Like I said before, there are people out there that don't take too kindly to being stopped. You form enemies on the way, but that can't be helped. But I've really enjoyed being a ranger for the most part."

"For the most part?" she repeated, a question in her voice.

"The Pokémon rangers brought me up. They raised me at the headquarters. My mum was one and my dad was the leader. I had no choice, but to agree to be a Pokémon ranger."

"Oh."

"But it's ok," I continued, "it was kind of interesting. I said that I was a ranger since I was 11 right? Well that was a lie. I guess I've been a ranger all my life. I grew up, watching you. They monitored you very closely. By the time I was five, they threw me straight into a vigorous training session. When I was ten, they sent me out into the world like every other normal parent and for that year, and that year only, I got to experience what it was like to be a real kid. I was given my starting Pokémon like every other kid, a Budew and I set out. I raised her myself. No help at all, until she finally evolved. I caught my Butterfree and then I headed out to start contests. I almost won. Solidad thought I was crying because of the loss, when really I was kind of saddened that I had to quit. I was told I was naturally good at it. I came back and then they told me that it was time to start. My mission would be to protect you. Because I was the same age as you, they found it would be easier for me. They sent me out to Slateport, where I would meet up with you. You wouldn't believe how happy I was to find out you were a Pokémon coordinator. It meant I could still enter contests, but from our first meeting, I had to keep my distance from you. I'm sorry for that."

"Oh Drew," she sighed, "I didn't know. So all that arrogance was an act?"

"Don't get me wrong May," I said quickly, "I haven't changed a bit. I was still me then, I'm still me now. I guess it was a good thing that I bothered you so much." She grinned at me.

"I don't think you're really that arrogant," she said.

"Oh yeah, what makes you so sure?" I challenged. She giggled and snuggled closer.

"Easy," she whispered, "You're actually a big softly who cares a lot. You're showing me now."

"Do you want me to go back?" I asked.

"No."

"Then don't you dare tell anyone about this," I laughed, "you could ruin my image. I still need that you know."

"Ok, just asking. How long will you have to protect me?" she asked, "When does this mission stop."

"May," I said softly, "My mission officially stops once the heir has taken control, but I will never stop protecting you May."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

* * *

May's POV

I kept thinking about what Drew had said. He'd been protecting me almost my entire life. Even before I knew him, he'd still been watching me. I was the sea princess and I had an older brother or sister that I didn't even know about. Something told me it was a girl though. Wow today had been a big day. First a kiss, then a heartbreak and then information overload. I sighed heavily as I changed into my pyjamas. I would be sleeping inside tonight. It would be lonely without Manaphy cuddled with me. I was just about to go to bed when something stopped me. A soft tune. I walked up to my window, hypnotized by its soothing sound. I looked out. Close by, on a little rock was Manaphy. His mouth was opened wide and he was facing the moon. He was singing. Dark shapes grouped around him. Curious I headed down to the underwater viewing platform. I gasped. There was tons of Pokémon, all gathering around him to listen to his song. I turned as I heard footsteps behind me.

"Isn't Manaphy amazing?" Lizabeth asked.

"Yeah," I agreed. Amazing and so many other words. She slipped her bracelet over her hand.

"Here May," she said, "I want you to have this." She held her bracelet out.

"Oh, really?" I questioned, "Because you know you don't have to." I had admired the lovely looking bluish stone for a while now. It was so beautiful and captivating.

"Yeah, but I want to," Lizabeth insisted, "it's the people of the water's mark, but for some reason I feel like you should have it." I smiled as I took it and slipped it on. If only she knew what Drew had just told me, but he hadn't said to tell anyone else yet. Not until I could wrap my head around it. It just seemed so unrealistic.

"Thank you Lizabeth," I whispered. The feeling of the cold stone against my skin felt nice and soothing. Manaphy stopped singing. All the Pokémon slowly began to swim their own way again as Manaphy continued to stare at the sky. More footsteps stopped behind me. Somehow I felt like I knew who it was, even without looking.

"You know," Lizabeth said suddenly, "I think I should go to bed now. You should too May. Don't stay up too long." I nodded as she walked away.

"Hey May," he said softly, "how are you doing?"

"Alright, I guess," I answered, "It's hard to believe that I'm actually royalty."

"It's not like the fairy-tale, live-in-a-castle type princess thing," he chuckled, "It just means you have an important role with the ocean and the people of the water."

"Yeah," I agreed, "to find the real heir huh? Do you think I can find her?"

"Her?"

"Yeah, I think it's a girl. I just have this feeling," I whispered. He was quiet.

"I know," I laughed, "it sounds really stupid doesn't it?"

"Not at all," he said, "that would be your sense telling you about her."

"Mm," I mumbled.

"C'mon," he said, "Lizabeth was right. You should probably head to bed now." I nodded and quietly followed him up to my room. I flopped down on my bed. He chuckled softly and tucked the blankets over me.

"Goodnight May," he whispered, "and try not to think too much. You'll keep yourself awake."

"I don't think I can sleep anyway," I sighed, "it's lonely without Manaphy."

"Just try," he said. I suddenly had an idea.

"Drew?" I questioned. He stopped by my door.

"Yes?" He turned to face me. I flipped the edge of my blanket away and patted the empty space next to me. His eyes narrowed.

"Please," I begged, "I can't sleep alone." I pulled my cute face. That's right. Bow your head slightly, look up and use your big blue eyes to your advantage. Pull a sad face and ever so slightly pout. I hoped it would work on him. It usually worked on Brock, Max, Ash, my dad and several other boys. It even worked on Jackie, but Drew was different. He sighed and moved back towards me.

"If anyone finds out about this, the blame is on you though," he muttered as he tucked himself in beside me. I smiled. I couldn't believe it had worked.

"Mm, ok," I mumbled.

"Goodnight May," he whispered, turning around to lie on his back. I closed my eyes. I snuggled down a little closer and accepted the warm he provided. I lifted my head and rested it under his chin, reaching up to put one of my hands across his body.

"Um…May?" he questioned.

"Mm, warm," I mumbled, pretending to be half asleep. Soon I found myself really falling asleep, gently lulled by his steady breathing.


	11. Sisters?

**Sisters?**

May's POV

I woke up and yawned. The first thing I noticed was that I was alone. The bed next to me was empty. Instead of cuddling in Drew, I was cuddling into my pillow. I sat up. I reached over and touched the empty space next to me. It wasn't even warm from where he had been anymore. He must've left a while ago. I yawned again and stretched out my arms. Oh well. Time to get up. I counted to three in my head and threw the blankets off. I swung my legs over the side of the bed and let my feet touch the cold floor. A chill ran up my spine. I jumped into the shower and put the water on hot. I needed a nice hot shower to make me feel better. I got out and towelled myself dry. I shook out my hair. It was still too damp for my bandana so I would have to leave it out until it dried. I opened the door and headed down to the kitchen. Maybe breakfast would be ready. When I came down, I was greeted by the smell of freshly cooked pancakes. I licked my lips and grabbed a plate. Brock appeared from the kitchen and dumped a stack onto my plate. I breathed in the scent deeply.

"Have we got any-"

"Maple syrup is on the table," Brock answered before I had even finished asking my question. I smiled at him as thanks and sat down at the table. Ash was already halfway through eating his while Misty was yelling at him to slow down. She hit him over the head with her mallet and they started another argument right there. I supressed a giggle. They may be dating, but it didn't look like much had changed. Kyle and Shep weren't at the table, probably navigating the ship and looking at the radar or something. Jackie wiped his mouth with a napkin and walked away, muttering something about keeping a look out. Meredith took is empty plate back to the kitchen. Lizabeth wasn't at the table either, probably in the kitchen learning to cook with Brock. The last person in the room though, made my heart go thump. Drew. He was lazily forking his pancakes into his mouth. His hair was tousled and his clothes were crumbled, like he'd just woken up. He looked kind of adorable, a lazy lopsided half smile on his face. He looked up and spotted me, his hazy emerald eyes locking with mine.

"Hey you," he called softly, moving closer to me, "Looks like you came down after all. I thought you'd sleep right through breakfast."

"Now why would I do that?" I laughed, "you know as much as the next person how much I love food."

"Well, you did have a big night last night and all," he said, "You were still sleeping soundly when I left early this morning."

"Why did you leave?" I asked.

"I told you May," he replied, "I didn't want to be caught so I left a little earlier."

"Oh, right."

"Yeah, it wasn't easy either," he continued, "you were pretty stubborn, didn't want to move off me." I smiled slightly and blushed.

"Why didn't you wake me?" I asked.

"You looked so peaceful," he said, the cute smile playing at the corner of his mouth again, "I didn't want to disturb you." I smiled for real this time. He was so considerate.

"You still look like you just woke up and all," I said.

"That's because I did," he answered, "You know, I haven't been awake this whole time. I went back to sleep and woke up just for breakfast." I giggled as he tapped the end of my nose with his finger with his last three words.

* * *

Ash's POV

"Yuck, those two want to make me be sick with all that mushy stuff," I groaned, watching May giggle as Drew tapped her nose.

"Ash, you know that they're only flirting with each other," Misty reprimanded.

"Flirt? Why would they be doing that?" I asked.

"They like each other idiot," she growled, "people flirt when they like each other Ash." She hit me over the back of my head. I frowned, rubbing the spot. She had just hit me there about 10 minutes ago. I already had a bruise there. Give a guy a break.

"I don't see why they have to do that," I said, "I never flirted."

"That's because you're dense Ash," Misty retorted hotly.

"Well, you didn't flirt either," I pointed out.

"You're an idiot Ash. I did flirt. No wonder it took this long for you to get it," she sighed. I frowned for a moment, thinking.

"Misty. What is flirting?" I asked. She looked at me with an expression that said 'are you serious?' and put her hand to her face.

"Flirting is when you're attracted to someone and you playfully tease them," she explained, "it's kind of a way to show your attraction to them." Oh. I scratched my head, under my cap. Pikachu chattered into my ear.

"You're right Pikachu," I said, "We need to feed Manaphy too." I stood up and Misty followed.

"I'm coming too," she called. I nodded and took some Pokémon food in a bowel. I headed out to the lower part of the ship's deck.

"Manaphy!" I yelled, "It's time to eat." He jumped around in the water and then onto the deck.

'Happy? Happy?' he called, looking around confused. He sounded sad. Poor Pokémon.

"I think he misses May," Misty whispered beside me.

"I guess we should cheer him up then," I called. Misty smiled and nodded. I put the bowl of food down. I grabbed the Pokéballs that were hung on my belt.

"Come out everybody!" I yelled as I threw them into the air. Out came Aipom, Donphan, Corphish, Swellow and Septile. Misty threw her Pokéballs in the air too and out came, Psyduck, Azurill, Starmie, Politoed, Goldeen and Caserin; her Luvdisc. Manaphy brightened, seeing all the other Pokémon ready to play with him.

"Now all we gotta do now is sit back and watch," I said, sitting down. Misty sat down next to me and took my hand in hers. I smiled at her and squeezed her hand gently, so she'd know that affection was returned.

* * *

Drew's POV

I watched May closely as she stood, watching Manaphy having fun with Ash and Misty's Pokémon. She smiled sadly and fingered her bandana. Her hair lightly swayed in the breeze. She smiled again and shook her bandana out, moving it up to tie over her head. Just as she did, a huge gust of wind blew it from her hands.

"My bandana!" She cried, reaching out, but it was already too late. It was out of her reach. It fluttered gently in the wind and landed in the ocean. It then sank under the ocean. May pouted, still in the same position as before. I decided to make myself known.

"Hey, it's just a bandana," I said, "You don't really need it anyway."

"Drew," she gasped, jumping slightly, "what have I told you about sneaking up behind me?"

"Sorry May," I said, not a bit sorry at all, "but I couldn't resist."

"What couldn't you resist?" she asked with a cheeky tone in her voice, "Me?" She smiled cheekily at me.

"When did you get so cheeky?" I asked, trying not to grin at her playfulness. She shrugged.

"No idea," she said, "but I just thought of a good comeback for once so I decided to use it." I chuckled and shook my head.

"Hey Drew," she said, "I think I'm going to tell them about what I am. I think I know who my sister is too."

"You do?" I questioned, "Who?"

"I'm not telling you Drew," she said, "You don't get to find out before anyone else. No special treatment you know."

"What!" I exclaimed, trying to look hurt, "After everything I've done for you May, the least you could do is clue me in." I grinned, just so she'd know that I was joking. She rolled her eyes, but then smiled again.

"You know I appreciate everything you did Drew," she said seriously. She stepped forwards and hugged me. I patted her back lightly and she stepped back again and grinned.

"Ok, let's go tell the others now," she called cheerfully.

* * *

"So May," Ash said, coming in, "What did you call us all in here for?"

"Just wait," May said, "Lizabeth isn't here yet." Ash groaned impatiently. Lizabeth finally came in.

"I'm here guys," she called, "sorry I took a little longer. Now what's up?"

"May has something important to tell us," Shep said. All eyes turned to May and she grinned nervously.

"Go on, you can do it," I encouraged in a whisper. She smiled at me.

"Don't tell me," Lizabeth squealed, "You two are dating now!"

"What!" I exclaimed.

"No way!" May yelled, blushing sightly. I could feel my cheeks heating up too, but when someone asks if you're dating someone, it's kind of embarrassing.

"Eww, no," Max groaned, screwing up his face, "May and Drew dating would be so disgusting." Gee thanks, I though sarcastically, good to know I had her brothers approval.

"Just tell us May," Ash grumbled. He was so impatient.

"Well, the thing is, I'm the sea princess," she said, tapping her fingers together.

"What!" several voices yelled at the same time. It was hard to tell who said it and who didn't. Ash's eyes were wide open in shock. He was staring at May.

"It's true," she confirmed.

"Then you'll be restoring peace to the ocean?" Shep questioned, sounding and looking hopeful.

"Oh no, not me," May laughed, "I can't remember a thing about it and I'm not even the rightful heir. My older sister is."

"You have an older sister?" Max squeaked, "Does that mean I have another older sister too?"

"I guess so," May replied, frowning slightly as she thought.

"Who is she?" Misty asked.

"Don't be silly Misty," May giggled, "It's you." Everyone, including me turned and looked at Misty, who was looking quite astonished. Misty was May's sister?

* * *

**A/N: Well done for those who guessed who May's sister would be a while, I was thinking about throwing the suspicion off Misty, like I tried to do with the whole Dryden/Drew thing, but I just couldn't be bothered. You all knew it was going to be Misty anyway. An important note is that this story will be going on hold while I take a break over Christmas. Hope you don't mind too much, but I will be back shortly.**


	12. Lost and found

**Lost and found**

Misty's POV

Tears formed in my eyes. Ash was looking at me in shock, concern and disbelief.

"May, you remembered me," I whispered.

"Why wouldn't I?" she laughed, "You are my sister aren't you?"

"I am," I confirmed, "It's true. I'm the older sea princess."

"So that's how you knew so much about the sea temple and Manaphy," Shep pondered out loud.

"Misty's a princess?" Brock questioned.

"I am," I confirmed, "My full name is actually Mistiquellenne."

"Mistiquellenne?" Ash questioned, "You mean you're not actually Misty?" He backed up a bit.

"No Ash," I cried out, "I'm still Misty. I'm still the same." He took a few more steps away. Arceus this is exactly what I thought would happen. Everyone would get freaked out, but it didn't stop from it hurting. I swallowed deeply. I turned to Shep.

"You'll still help me to the temple right?" I asked. He nodded.

"You guys, I'm sorry for lying," I apologised, "I was never here for the water Pokémon. I was on my way to the ocean, but I had to lie to protect May and my identity and the ocean and even Manaphy. Please guys. Forgive me. I'll be in my room until we come to Samiya." I turned and ran to my room, tears falling softly from my eyes. I wasn't usually one to cry, but this hurt so much. I'd just had a few days of happiness with Ash and now I was afraid it was ruined. I shut the door behind me, locking it so no-one could come in. I guess May had been wrong after all. Ash did hurt me again.

* * *

Drew's POV

As soon as Misty left the room, May looked distressed.

"Oh I didn't mean to cause trouble," she wailed, "don't be upset with Misty. It's not her fault. I couldn't remember anything." Ash was blinking stupidly at the closed door.

"Should I go after her?" Ash asked.

"Not yet," May said, "let her calm down first. You guys aren't upset with her or anything, are you?"

"No, just shocked," Ash replied, "This is just…Wow…" May's eyes widened.

"Oh gosh," she whispered, "I just messed things up didn't I? I'm so sorry Ash." May's eyes started to fill up and I knew she was upset. She could feel other people's pain and took it on herself.

"I can't believe it!" Brock exclaimed, "Misty and May are sisters. No wonder they look so alike."

"Yeah," Max agreed, "Actually now that you mention it, I think May looks more similar to Misty than she does to me."

"Ok, I think we've all talked about this long enough," Shep said, "why don't you go find Manaphy. It's about time we head out to the sea temple."

"Ok," Ash said, nodding, "I'll just go find him now." Brock, Lizabeth and Max followed.

"Well we gotta go check the radar again," Shep said, nodding to Kyle.

"Well I guess I'm stuck doing dinner by myself then," Meredith sighed.

"I'd offer us to help," I said, "but May can't cook and I can't just leave her alone can I?"

"Oh no," Meredith quickly said, "I wouldn't keep you two apart." She left before I had a chance to ask what she meant. May sniffed quietly. Jackie eyed me and I threw him a pleading look. He rolled his eyes.

"I'll go talk to Mistiquellenne," he sighed. Thank goodness. He left the room.

"Drew," May whispered, "I think I messed it up. I messed up Ash and Misty. Drew it's all my fault."

"You didn't mess anything up," I assured, "You know that Ash is just a little overwhelmed. As soon as he can, you know he'll go and straighten things out with Misty."

"You think?" She questioned.

"Pretty sure so," I replied with a shrug, "you know I'm not Ash so I can't exactly tell what he's going to do, but he's a pretty predictable guy."

"And you're not?" she asked, with raised eyebrows.

"You should know by now May," I chuckled, "I'm full of surprises." She giggled and looked up at me, her bright blue eyes locking with mine. I froze, her blue eyes taking me into some sort of trance. Without thinking I stepped forwards and cupped her cheek with my palm. I pulled her closer and lowered my head slightly. My lips moved closer to hers and….

"Guys!" Someone come back in and I jumped back, surprised at both myself and the sudden entrance. I turned to see Ash, Brock, Max and Lizabeth all looking at us.

"I hope we didn't interrupt anything," Brock said. My face heated up. Max screwed up his nose.

"Please Drew, tell me you weren't about to kiss my sister," he groaned, "Because that's disgusting."

"No way!" I exclaimed. I refused to look at May. Instead I just stared at the ground.

"S-so guys," May stuttered, "W-what bring you b-back in here s-so quickly?"

"Manaphy's missing!" Ash exclaimed, "We couldn't find him anywhere. He wasn't answering our calls." Arceus, that was not what May needed now. I turned to see that her face was one of pure horror, her hands clamped over her mouth.

"Oh my poor baby!" May cried, "Lost out in the big wide ocean by himself."

"It's ok May," Lizabeth said, "We'll take the mini sub and go looking for him."

"Really? Thanks Lizabeth," May said.

* * *

May's POV

Shep led us down to the very bottom level and opened a door at the very end. He turned and flicked on the light, revealing yellow mini submarine.

"Now don't do anything rash," Shep warned, worry in his voice.

"Of course not," Lizabeth assured, waving her hand at him. I gasped. Wow.

"Well, we're not going to get anywhere just standing here," Brock pointed out.

"You're right," Lizabeth exclaimed, "get in everyone." Shep unlocked the door and opened it for us. Lizabeth pushed me from behind and into a seat. Someone else was pushed next to me.

"Hey what's with the shoving?" demanded Drew. I froze. That's who was next to me. Lizabeth giggled in response and I had the feeling she did it on purpose. Soon the door was shut behind us. I looked back to see if there was a different seat, but they were all taken up. Arceus. This was going to be awkward. I was meant to be focused on finding Manaphy, but now I was going to be distracted. I looked out the window, deciding to keep a look out for any sigh of the little blue Pokémon. The sub was launched from the bottom of the ship. Lizabeth flicked a switch and the head lights came on, lighting the way in the dark ocean.

"We'll have to be quick," Lizabeth said, "the eclipse is starting."

"Please be ok Manaphy," I whispered, "You know I'm right here." I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"It'll be ok May," Drew whispered in my ear, "We'll find him."

"It's because of the way I treated Manaphy," I cried, "If I hadn't let himself get so attached to me, he wouldn't have run off by himself."

"You can't blame yourself," Drew said fiercely. I turned and gasped in shock. Drew had never used that tone of voice on me before. His eyes were dark and he looked really serious. I dropped my head. He put his hand under my chin and brought it back up.

"I told you before May," he said a little softer, "you were the only one who could've hatched him. It's not your fault that the bond formed between you two, no matter how much Jackie says otherwise." Max reached over and tapped Drew's shoulder.

"We'll look out for Manaphy," Ash whispered loudly, "you distract May so she won't be upset." Drew nodded.

"And also Drew," Max added in a harsh whisper, "Don't you dare kiss my sister." I blushed. I don't think they realized how loud they were. I turned to the window, pretending not to have overheard. I felt Drew's gaze on my back. I waited for him to say something. Surely he wouldn't sit there just watching me. I looked out for any sign of Manaphy. My poor little baby was out there alone. I eventually felt Drew tap my shoulder. I turned.

"Hey," he said softly.

"Hey Drew," I greeted back, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong," he replied, "I just thought maybe you would want to talk. The silence is a little eerie don't you think?"

"Yeah…" I trailed off.

"Want to know about Jackie?" he asked.

"Jackie?" I questioned, "What's he got to do with anything? Why'd you bring him up?"

"Well, I figured you'd noticed the way he's so cold towards me and you're a curious person," he shrugged, "but if you don't want to know then that's ok as well."

"Oh no tell me," I begged, "you brought it up and now you have to tell me."

"Jackie's my brother," he admitted. My eyes widened. No wonder that smirk of his had reminded me of Drew. No wonder his green eyes were the same.

"Wow," I breathed.

"You can't tell anyone. He hates people to know that we're related," he whispered, "only a few select Pokémon rangers know."

"Why?" I asked, "Why wouldn't he want anyone to know?"

"He hates me," Drew shrugged.

"Why would he hate you?" I asked.

"That's easy. You," he answered

"Me?" I squeaked.

"Yeah, he was going to be the one chosen to look after you, but then I came along and well, he's always resented me for 'stealing' his mission," Drew explained, "He just sees me doing what he should've been doing and hates it. He hates me for it."

"That's a silly reason," I giggled, "So is that why he was so sour at you coming on board?"

"Yeah," he replied nodding, "You see, Jackie's a proud ranger. He's never had any help from anyone and he always completed his missions on the first try. He hated the fact that I had come here to 'interfere'."

"Oh Drew," I sighed, "Does it annoy you that he doesn't want anything to do with you?"

"I dunno," he shrugged, "Hasn't really bothered me honestly. He doesn't really feel like a brother to me you know?"

"Oh Drew, that must be horrible for you," I sighed. I couldn't imagine what it would be like if Max or Misty hated me and couldn't stand the thought of me.

"Don't worry about it," he said, "I'm used to it."

"Look it's Manaphy!" Ash exclaimed.

"Where?" I asked, looking around.

"There!" Ash pointed out the window. I spotted him, swimming towards us at a fast pace. He came around to my window and I saw something in his hands. It was red with a white marking. He rubbed his face against it.

'Happy. Mama happy' he cooed. I smiled slightly. It was my bandana.

"That's what you were looking for Manaphy?" I questioned.

"Happy love you,' he responded.

"I love you too," I said, putting my head against the glass.

"And that's what happened," I heard Lizabeth say over the radio, "Manaphy was just looking for May's bandana." She paused for a moment.

"Don't worry," she assured, "Brock and I will cook as soon as we get back." The mini sub lurched and I was thrown forwards from my seat.

"We're caught in a riptide!" Lizabeth exclaimed, desperately pulling at the controls, "I've lost control." I gripped the seat tightly at we were roughly thrown against a rock. The light flicked out. Arceus this was bad. I couldn't swim very well. What if we had to get out of here? I was thrown again to the side and the seatbelt cut into my side. I hissed in pain. Drew reached over and unbuckled me. He pulled me closer and wrapped his arms around me tightly.

"Just hold on May," he whispered, "we'll make it out of here." I cuddled closer. He made me feel safe. It was his job to protect me after all. I saw Manaphy to the side.

'Mana!' he cried, pointing.

"Manaphy wants us to go that way!" I exclaimed. Lizabeth nodded and shakily directed the sub to follow Manaphy. I breathed a sigh of relief as we got out of it.

"Thanks Drew," I whispered.

"You're welcome May," he whispered back, but he didn't let go…And I wasn't about to ask him either. It felt right.

* * *

**A/N: Well I'm back. I hope you all had a good Christmas break. Well, here's the next chapter for you. Firstly I would like to say oh my goodness you guys are all amazing! This story has gotten twice as many reviews as my last one; ****_Roses, Sabotage and Drew _****(If you haven't read it, please check it out because I'll probably be doing a sequel soon). Thank you so much. I mean 50 reviews! wow! You make me so happy. I'm glad you all liked it. Second, this chapter is again a little dramatic. Misty is so emotional. Ahhh Please don't hate me for breaking Misty and Ash apart again. It was for a reason. And Drew has finally revealed his dilemma with Jackie. I realized you guys hadn't found out why he didn't seem to like Drew much so now you know. Well that's all from me for now.**


	13. Trouble begins

**Trouble begins**

Misty's POV

I had heard that the others left. In the commotion that had followed, I'd realized that Manaphy was missing and we were approaching Samiya. I opened my door and tiptoed out. No-one was around. That was good. Jackie had tried to get me out, but I really didn't want to talk to anyone now, especially Ash. I crept up to the control room of the ship and pressed my ear against the keyhole.

"The current has calmed down," I heard Shep say, "and it appears they've all escaped unharmed."

"That's wonderful," I heard Meredith sigh in relief.

"What!" Shep exclaimed, "They're being followed."

"By what?" Jackie demanded. I frowned. They would probably be heading to the sea temple soon.

"They're gone!" Shep exclaimed in disbelief.

"That can't be!" Meredith gasped, "They've gone where?"

"I think we know," Shep said, "Samiya." Great. Someone was obviously trying to get to the sea crown. Who knows what they would do, especially with May. I ran away and quickly grabbed some gear.

"We gotta tell Mistiquellenne!" Jackie exclaimed

"The lunar eclipse is here!" Kyle yelled. Even better, I thought sarcastically, I'd have to get them to move fast.

"The sea temple!" they gasped.

"Wait! What's that?" Jackie asked.

"It's Phantom!" he answered himself after a pause. I turned the door handle and swung it open.

"Anchor down," I yelled, "Samiya won't take a ship like this invading its protective bubble."

"Right!" Kyle nodded and pressed a few buttons. The ship stopped. I threw a small underwater oxygen filter at Jackie.

"Jackie put this on," I demanded, "the others and Samiya could be in trouble if Phantom gets to the crown. You have to go stop him."

"What are you going to do?" he asked.

"I have something else I need to do," I replied. He nodded.

"And hurry!" I added as he ran out and dived off the ship.

* * *

Drew's POV

Lizabeth pulled up next to the temple and Ash got up. He twisted the hatch at the top open and stuck his head out. I pushed May away from me.

"Wow," Ash gasped. I rolled my eyes.

"You gonna let the rest of us see too," I asked. He was still just standing there.

"Ah get out of the way," I grumbled, pushing him out.

"Wah!" he cried as he toppled out and onto the platform close by.

"That wasn't very nice Drew," May said. I shrugged and climbed out. I reached back down and helped her out.

"What are you talking about not nice?" I teased, "I helped you out didn't I?" She shook her head and pushed my shoulder. If I hadn't been expecting something like that, I might've ended up on the ground like Ash, but instead I turned and jumped off. May bit her lip, eyeing the distance between where she was and the platform I was standing on.

"Just jump," I said, "it's not that far." She closed her eyes and took a leap. I reached forwards, catching her as she almost slipped back.

"Next time," I whispered, "try keeping your eyes open clumsy." She blushed and pushed me away again. Her eyes widened and she ran to the end of the pier.

"Manaphy!" she called, "Manaphy!" A few seconds later Manaphy jumped out of the water with an excited 'happy' and dove into May's arms.

'Happy, love you,' Manaphy said, offering the bandana he was holding.

"Love you too," May said, hugging him close. I came up beside her, hearing a small sob escape her mouth.

'Mana?' he questioned, looking confused, 'happy?' May rubbed her cheek against him. Manaphy spotted me.

"Happy!' he cried joyfully, 'Dada!' I chuckled, shaking my head. He reached out for me, but May didn't look like she was going to let go anytime soon. I shook my head and put my arms around both of them, pulling her close and turning her so that Manaphy was in the middle of us.

"Aww look," Lizabeth cooed, "family hug." I blushed and broke away.

"Come on, let's go," I whispered, glad that Max hadn't come out yet. As if on cue, he jumped out the sub.

"Wow we can breathe under here," he mused, "and we're so far under water."

"That's what the protective bubble does," May giggled.

"Whatever," Max groaned, "now, we gonna go explore?"

"Sure," Brock said. I followed him as he started up towards the middle of the temple.

* * *

I looked around in wonder at the extravagant décor of the place.

"Wow," May gasped, "I saw this in my dream, but I never imagined it would look this good up close." We walked around a rather large fountain and through a large archway into the next room. We stopped. In front of us was a wall of water, blocking us from going any further.

"Now what are we supposed to do?" Max asked.

"We can't go any further," Ash agreed.

"Just wait," Lizabeth said, looking at Manaphy. He straightened himself in May's arms and opened his mouth. He sang a little tune. I was surprised to hear a low humming of the tune come back.

"Is that the temple responding to Manaphy's song?" Brock questioned, wonder in his voice. Manaphy sang another little section and the temple responded. May's bracelet and Lizabeth's necklace started glowing as the little song continued.

"That's gotta be the people of the water," Lizabeth exclaimed, touching her necklace gently, "For sure!" The waterfall in front of us parted as the song finished. Several others behind it did the same, revealing the path to us. The glowing stopped and May looked at Manaphy. He excitedly jumped from her arms into the water next to the path.

'Mana!' he called, beckoning us to follow him. We all looked at each other before running to follow him. Over bridges, up stairs, along passages, going higher and higher and closer to the middle. The whole time, Manaphy was swimming in the little river next to the path, jumping up occasionally to see that we were keeping up. At the last bridge, Manaphy jumped out and into May's arms. She giggled as she caught him. I smiled slightly. May's smile could be so contagious when she was happy. Ash, who was the fastest, stopped suddenly. Max ran into him and he fell over. Brock tripped, landing on the heap and finally Lizabeth fell on top of them all. I had seen this coming and so I stopped and grabbed May's wrist, spinning her back to me so she wouldn't join the pile of bodies on the ground. Ash and Max both groaned.

"Get off me!" Max yelled, "You're squishing me!"

"Squishing you!" Ash called indignantly, "I'm the one who's on the bottom!"

"Well I'm smaller than you!" Max retorted.

"Guy stop fighting," Brock said, "We're getting up." Lizabeth managed to gracefully pushed herself up and Brock rolled off. He picked himself up off the ground. Max sprang off Ash and Ash groaned again, rubbing his back as he stood up.

"My back hurts," he complained.

"It was your fault!" Max yelled, "Why'd you stop anyway?"

"Well, I had to," Ash replied, "I couldn't just run into that now could I?" He pointed to the huge block in front of him.

"Stop fighting guys," Brock said again, "Max you're so distracted you haven't even realized the proximity of your sister and Drew." Huh? May and I both looked at each other and I realized I still had her pressed against me from when I had saved her from falling over.

"What!" Max yelled very loudly. I let her go and we jumped apart, both blushing furiously.

"Drew, I thought I told you to leave my sister alone," Max growled, pulling May away from me. I rolled my eyes. May had one protective brother. Oh Arceus, if this was how protective her brother was, I could only imagine how her dad would be. I shivered involuntarily.

"Stop being so protective Max," Brock laughed, "now what does this thing say?" I stepped closer to have a better look. On it was some strange letters inscribed and a picture of something that looked like a crown.

"That's the sign of the sea crown!" Lizabeth exclaimed. So we were close. This was when we needed Mistiquellenne.

"What's it say?" Max asked, the question that was probably on everyone's mind. May frowned and dropped Manaphy, putting her hands to her head. She winced and crouched down to the ground, gritting her teeth together.

"What's wrong May?" Ash asked.

"My head hurts," she whimpered. I knelt down next to her, frowning in concern.

"I think I know this," she gasped, "What it says. It's like I was there."

"This must've sparked a memory," I said, "of being brought here when you were very young."

"What's it say May?" Max asked enthusiastically, apparently forgetting about how close I was to May, "Can you read it?"

"I think I can," she said, looking up to it. I stood up and helped her off the ground. She touched a few letters.

"I think this one is crown," she said, "and this one is royal."

"That's right!" a voice interrupted. I turned around quickly. It was Phantom. How had he gotten here.

"I can read it," he said, pushing through us. We all backed away and huddled in a group.

"What are you doing here?" Ash demanded.

"I want the sea crown," he replied.

"No way!" Ash yelled. I stepped forwards.

"Don't try and attack me boy," he said in a patronising tone, "You don't stand a chance." I growled and lunged at him, throwing my fist out. He batted it away and I dropped to the floor, kicking my legs out towards his knee caps. He took the blow. He winced slightly, but didn't fall down like I was intending. He bent down and reached to take my ankles and so I rolled away from him, getting up. He chuckled lowly, smirking at me. With speed I didn't think he possessed, he jerked forwards and caught the collar of my shirt. I scratched and tugged at his hands, but he held fast.

"Don't interrupt me boy," he growled. He threw me across the room and I hit the wall, pain entering my body. I groaned, falling to the floor. I would have bruises. No broken bones thankfully, but it was still sore. The back of my head felt sticky though.

"Drew!" May knelt down next to me.

"Are you ok?" she asked. I winced as I reached up to touch my head. It was sticky and wet.

"Oh my gosh you're bleeding!" she exclaimed. Arceus I must've gotten a new gash on the back of my head. Her hands sifted through my hair. I took her hands to stop her, both of our hands now covered in my blood.

"I'll be fine," I growled, "It's just a cut."

"But Drew you-"

"May I'm a Pokémon ranger remember?" I cut her off, "I'm used to this sort of thing."

"Anyone else want to try?" Phantom mocked. Ash stepped forwards, his fists clenched. No, now was not the time to play hero Ash. Luckily for him Lizabeth held out her hand to stop him.

"Let me translate this thing for you," Phantom said, gesturing to the pillar.

"Beyond this door, which may only be opened by a people of the water's mark, lies the sea crown. Only one with royal blood may access this power," he read.

"You know you can't do anything here," Lizabeth challenged boldly, "this temple belongs to the people of the water."

"I happen to know everything about the people of the water," Phantom replied. He held up a cracked and broken string of the same stones May and Lizabeth were wearing.

"That's the people of the water's mark!" Lizabeth exclaimed with disbelief in her voice.

"Yes," Phantom confirmed, "and I went through a lot to get it." He held it up against the stone, next to the crown mark. Both the stones and the mark began to glow and the pillar sank into the ground. I would've stopped him, but I wasn't quite strong enough. My head was thumping with an intense headache now. I shakily stood up. The only way I could stop him now was if I could somehow get there first. A circular pattern on the wall appeared. Phantom went up to it and turned it like a dial. The wall peeled away and doors behind it opened, revealing another set of stairs behind it. I started to run forwards but something stopped me. A shrill scream behind me. I turned in horror.

"May!" I exclaimed.


	14. Sinking

**Sinking**

Drew's POV

Phantom was gripping May tightly by her hair, holding her so that her feet only just touched the ground. With his other hand he held a shiny silver knife to her neck.

"Take another step boy," Phantom growled, "and this girl won't see the light of day ever again. I froze and May whimpered like a wounded puppy.

"Now that's better, "Phantom said, "I want you to take a few steps back here and join your friends." I did as I was told, scared for May's life. If I was a hero in a movie, I probably would've dived at phantom and rescued May before he could hurt her anymore. But this wasn't a movie and the truth was that there was nothing I could do except obey him. I had already found out that I was no match for him and so trying to free May could result in the death of both of us.

"Let her go," I challenged. May looked so frightened and I couldn't help it.

"I can't do that," he growled, "I need this girl."

"What do you need my sister for!" Max demanded before I could say anything.

"This girl is the sea princess," he said.

"Don't be ridiculous," Lizabeth laughed nervously.

"Don't play dumb with me," Phantom spat, "I know this girl is the sea princess. I told you that I know about the people of the water."

"What do you want Phantom?" Ash demanded.

"I want the power of the sea crown," he replied.

"You can't have it," Lizabeth challenged boldly, "You don't have royalty in you."

"I don't need royalty in me," he said, "I have my key right here." He shook May in his hands and I could only watch as May whimpered in pain and fear.

"What do you need May for?" I asked. He smirked and it made my stomach turn over. He brought May's face closer to him, still grinning. I froze. I felt sick right down to my stomach at the way he was leering at her. He brought his voice down to a thick whisper.

"Royal blood," he whispered.

* * *

May screamed as he dropped his hand back down and she hit the ground with a thud. I pondered Phantom's words in my head, realizing with sick horror that he was intending to hurt May. He dragged he along the halls.

"Do not interfere with me boy," he warned over his shoulder, "or you'll find she won't come back to you."

"Drew," she whimpered, wincing again as he roughly dragged her up the stairs.

'Mana,' Manaphy cried, 'Mama.' I looked down to see him and I snapped out of it. Arceus May was in danger. I picked up Manaphy and ran after Phantom.

"Wait up Drew!" Ash called, "You'll need some help." I was grateful, hearing the footstep pound behind me. It was good to know I had backup, but I was still so scared. I was scared that I wouldn't be able to do anything to stop him. I paused at the top. Phantom was staring at the crown. It was not what I expected. Not a normal crown to go on top of your head. It was a spiral structure with shining blue pointy crystals sticking out from it. It was protected by a bubble of water that was somehow staying in its form. Phantom dropped May in his shock and she started to crawl towards me. By the way she was pulling herself along, I could see that she was sore from being dragged up the stairs. I reached out my hands towards her, ready to pull her to safety, but she jerked to a stop. A small squeal escaped her mouth as Phantom grabbed her ankles. He dragged her back to him and picked her up.

"I was going to save you from seeing this kids, but if you insist on following me then I guess you'll have to," Phantom chuckled dangerously. May whimpered at her took her face in his hands.

"Hmm, such a pretty face," Phantom pondered out loud, "no wonder that boy is chasing after you. Wouldn't it be a shame if I happen to mess it up." May whimpered as he poked the tip of the knife into her skin. A trickle of blood dripped from her cheek to her chin. Manaphy squirmed in my arms, obviously upset at seeing his 'mama' like this, but I held on tightly. It wouldn't do us any good to get him mixed up.

"Don't you dare cut her," I warned, my voice lowering to a deep growl. Phantom snickered at me, something that made me feel sick again.

"And why not?" he sneered, trailing the knife down, lightly cutting her skin.

"I said don't cut her," I repeated, "or so help me I will rip you to pieces."

"You're right," he sighed, "I can't mess up a beautiful face like this." He released May's head and she sighed in relief, dropping down. I was about to take her, when Phantom yanked her back up by her wrist.

"But that doesn't mean that I'll let her go," he said. I tensed. He swiped the knife across her skin and she cried out. Blood poured from her wrist. He had cut her. He had _cut_ my May. I felt so angry. He took her wrist and started rubbing her blood over his body. It must've been a deep cut, because it was bleeding pretty fast. He rubbed his hands together, covering them with blood. May whimpered, seeing her blood. He threw her roughly to the side.

"I don't need her anymore," Phantom growled, "I have royal blood now." He laughed in a way that made me want to throw something at him, but I didn't. May was whimpering as she tried to push herself off the ground. I knelt down next to her and Manaphy finally broke free. He jumped up and into the water, swimming around. I pulled May to me. She had her hand messily covering her cut. I pulled her hand away to see just how bad it was. I was right. It was really deep. Her crimson blood flowed from it freely. I looked at her face. She was pale and her eyes reflected fear. Arceus, if I didn't do something now, she'd bleed out to death. I shrugged off my jacket and tore it to shreds before I wrapped it tightly around her cut. It would need a lot of pressure to stop it from bleeding. Her blood started to soak the purple material red. I took her other hand and squeezed it tightly over her wrist. I turned to Phantom. He reached into the water, May's blood staining the water red and put both hands around one of the crystals. Manaphy desperately pulled at his hands, trying to take them away, but it didn't work. With a strong tug, the crystal broke loose and Manaphy flew out, hitting the ground with a thud. Manaphy started crying. May hobbled to him and picked him up, slowly rocking him.

"What did you do!" Lizabeth gasped in horror.

"The sea crown is mine!" Phantom exclaimed, "and now I should get the power of the sea!" He laughed. The bubble around the sea crown glowed and Phantom laughed, holding his arms out like he was about to receive a present. Instead of getting power though, the bubble popped, washing water over us. May fell down and hit the wall behind her.

"What!" Phantom yelled, "I have royal blood on me! I should be getting power!"

"That's because," May whispered, "I'm not the heir."

"What!" Phantom yelled, turning to May with malice in his eyes. I slowly moved closer to her, ready to get us out of here. Max, Brock, Lizabeth and Max seemed to understand and they slowly backed away towards the stairs.

"My older sister is the heir," May explained, "She's the only one who can get that power."

"What older sister!" Phantom yelled.

"There are two sea princess this generation," Lizabeth spoke up, "and only the older one can access the power." Phantom looked ready to explode when he was interrupted. Water burst in through a hole in the dome shaped roof. Arceus, this could be bad.

"I swear I'll kill you," Phantom growled, "useless girl." He took a few steps forwards. I quickly swung May into my arms and started running. I turned back to see that Phantom had apparently forgotten about us as he pulled more crystals from the crown.

"Drew," she whimpered.

"Don't talk," I said, "just hold your hand tightly over your wrist and don't drop Manaphy." I ran after Lizabeth, Brock, Ash and Max. I passed Jackie and I stopped. What was he doing here? How did he get here? Jackie stopped as well.

"Is everybody ok?" he asked.

"May's hurt, other than that, yes," I replied, gesturing to the girl in my arms.

"Where's Phantom?" he demanded.

"He's still in there, raiding the crown," I answered.

"I'll take care of Phantom," he said, "You gotta get everyone else out of here. The sea temple is sinking." He went to run back there.

"Wait!" I called. He stopped.

"It's pretty bad in there," I warned, "and Phantom's got a knife."

"Thanks." He continued running. I bit my lip. He might not have been the best brother ever, but I still didn't want him to get hurt. May whimpered again and I snapped back. I had to get May to safety and quickly. I continued running. I eventually reached the submarine. Lizabeth opened the sub.

"Hurry, get in," she urged. I let May down, helping her stand up as I patiently waited for Ash, Brock and Max to get in. Manaphy wriggled in May's arms and jumped into the water.

"Wait Manaphy!" she yelled.

* * *

No-one POV

May ran after Manaphy, even in her weakened state, she just had to find him.

"May!" Drew yelled, running after her. She wouldn't be able to get back out by herself, especially if she kept swinging her arms like that. The blood was already starting to leak through his make-shift bandage. Back in the room with the sea crown, Jackie confronted Phantom.

"This is the people of the water's!" he yelled, "You have to put it back!"

"No way!" Phantom shouted, "This is mine now. If I can't have the power, I'm at least going to have the gems."

"Well, I guess I'll just have to fix it myself," Jackie yelled. He ran forwards, grabbing two of the crystals from Phantom's bag. He slotted them into place. Phantom dropped the bag.

"They're mine!" he shouted angrily, reaching for Jackie. Jackie darted over Phantom's head and grabbed more. He slotted more in their places. He grabbed another. Phantom cornered him and grabbed onto the single crystal.

"Well Pokémon ranger," Phantom said, his voice full of malice, "your time is up." Jackie caught sight of the knife in his hands.

"Unless I do something, both of our time is up," he retorted, dodging out of the way of the knife, just in time. Water shot down and hit both men. They tumbled off the platform and fell into the rising water beneath. Phantom held tightly to the crystal as he tried to swim out. Jackie was sucked down a different path. Phantom was roughly smashed into a pillar and his grip on the crystal loosened. It fell into the water and disappeared through a small hole.

"Wait May!" Lizabeth yelled. A burst of water landed next to the sub, pushing it away. Lizabeth quickly got in and closed the hatch. It wouldn't help her if she let the rest of them drown. She'd have to come back around for them. May and Drew followed Manaphy until they came to the room with the sea crown. They were standing in one of the little windows above it.

"Hey look what Manaphy's doing!" May exclaimed, pointing. Manaphy tugged on one of the crystals, desperately trying to get it to the crown.

"He's trying to get it back to normal," Drew said in realization, "He's trying to save the temple."

"We've got to help him Drew," May pleaded. Drew nodded and jumped down into the water. He swam to the edge of the platform and pulled himself up. May nervously stepped from foot to foot. She couldn't swim and the current looked really strong.

"Jump May," Drew called, "Just keep your head above water and I'll pull you out." May nodded. She trusted him. She held her breath and jumped in. She struggled around until her head broke the surface. She gasped and flailed around, keeping herself afloat. She spotted Drew. She reached out towards him and he grasped her hand tightly. He pulled her out onto the platform, inspecting quickly to make sure she was ok. They got up and went to the platform. May grabbed a crystal. It was heavy, but she had to be strong. She picked it up and slotted it in one of the holes. Drew started doing the same.

Meanwhile Phantom looked at the water bursting through the temple's protective bubble.

"So it is sinking!" he exclaimed, "I've gotta get out of here." He spotted his little sub and ran towards it. Before he could get it though, the water pushed it away. He growled and swam after it. Jackie saw the sub and made a daring leap from the temple to where it was floating. He managed to land on it and quickly got inside. He spotted the Chatot that was usually with Phantom.

"Wanna come?" he asked, holding his hand out. The Chatot landed on his hand, echoing his words. Jackie smiled dryly and pulled him inside the sub, closing the lid. At least everyone was safe now. Or so he thought.


	15. Broken promise

**Broken promise**

No-one's POV

Inside, Drew and May were staring at the last hole with sadness.

"We need one more," May whispered. Drew looked around one more time, hoping that they just accidentally missed it. There were no more crystals.

"I think Phantom might have taken one," he said. May gasped as she felt water seep into her shoes.

"Let's get out of here," Drew said.

Meanwhile Lizabeth was having trouble controlling the sub.

"I can't get in there anymore," she cried out in distress, "the current's too strong. It's pushing me away."

"They might've been able to get out with Jackie," Brock said hopefully.

"All I can do is head back to the ship and hope that they got out," Lizabeth sighed dejectedly.

"May…" Max trailed off, pressing his hand to the window.

Inside the temple, Drew and May were desperately running away from the water that kept filling up the rooms. It just kept rising higher and higher. All May was thinking about was how she couldn't swim, but Drew had other things on his mind. There was no doubt that they would eventually have to swim out, but he didn't know how far underwater they were, or how long they could hold their breath for. This looked like the end. May panted, her breath becoming shorter and her face paler than ever. Drew looked to her in concern. She'd lost a lot of blood. She wouldn't be able to keep this up much longer. He stopped May, taking only a moment to swing her back into his arms before he started to run again. He ran up another set of stairs.

"Wait!" May called. Drew paused, wondering what she was on about. May pointed to a fountain where the last crystal rested. Drew placed May down and pulled it out. This was going to be his only chance to save both of them. The sound of rushing water filled their ears as the room started to flood.

"May keep going," Drew urged. They ran up and out the closest arch to find themselves at a dead end. This room was already filled with water. The stairs leading down were covered with water and a capsule rested against it. Drew put the crystal down for a moment. This was as high as they could get. He dragged the capsule onto the shore. He had one chance to return everything back to normal and if he didn't succeed, both of them could die. He wanted to make sure that May would be alright. He opened it.

"May, get in," he commanded.

"What about you?" she asked, eyeing the capsule. It was only big enough for one person.

"Don't worry," Drew assured, "I'll put this back if I can, but you gotta get in here." He pulled her forwards and May leapt into the capsule to avoid tripping over. Drew gently pushed her down so she was sitting and them lying. Manaphy snuggled down in her arms. Drew took his Pokéballs from his pockets and tucked them in next to her.

"Drew, why are you giving me those?" she asked. Drew smiled dryly.

"You guys will all be safe in here," he told her, avoiding her question, "I promised I'd protect you and so that's what I'm doing." Tears formed in her eyes as she held onto Manaphy tightly. Drew leaned down and kissed Manaphy's head gently.

"You'll look after her won't you?" he asked the blue Pokémon.

'Mana,' Manaphy cried, nodding, 'Mana, mana.' He looked at May. He bit his lip gently.

"Drew…" she trailed off. He leaned closer to May. Gently he kissed her forehead, letting his lips linger on her skin for longer than they did with Manaphy.

"That's in case I don't come back," he murmured. May realized in horror what he meant. Before she could move, Drew closed the case and locked it. Drew picked up the crystal again.

"I'll go put this back now," Drew said, turning and running away.

"Drew!" May screamed.

* * *

Drew climbed quickly to avoid getting caught by the water. He watched as May's capsule was buried under the water. Inside May gasped.

"Drew…" She sighed, "Hurry back." Drew climbed up to the rafters and ran along them as best he could. He took a deep breath and dived into the water. He swam until he came into the room with the sea crown. He moved up to the surface to take a breath.

Meanwhile up above near the ship, Jackie sub just surfaced. Shep, Meredith, Kyle, Lizabeth, Brock, Max and Ash looked at him curiously as he opened the hatch. The Chatot flew out and away, free for the first time.

"Jackie, are you alright?" Shep asked.

"I'm fine," he said.

"Is May and Drew with you?" Max asked. Jackie shook his head.

"Weren't they with you?" he asked. Lizabeth sadly shook her head.

"Then they're still down there," Brock muttered.

"There's no way they'll survive!" Ash exclaimed in horror.

"Has anyone of you seen Mistiquellenne?" Kyle asked, "We haven't seen her since she threw that mask at Jackie."

"No," everyone said in unison.

"Where could she be?" Meredith pondered, "I've checked the whole ship and I haven't found her yet. Jackie got on board.

"Arceus did you say Drew and May are still down there?" he asked. Lizabeth nodded.

"Arceus," Jackie muttered. It didn't seem like he cared, but he did. Drew was his brother after all.

Down in the sea temple, Drew gasped for breath again. He looked up and saw that he wasn't that far from the roof. This would be his last breath. He took the largest breath his lungs would let him before diving under again. He grabbed the crystal he had dropped down the bottom and swam towards the sea crown again. He got to the platform. His lungs burned for air. Where was that hole? He swam around searching desperately. There it was! He pushed himself closer and lifted the crystal. He was about to push it in when everything turned black. His hands went limp and bubbles of air escaped his mouth as he closed his eyes. The crystal slipped from his fingers and landed next to the crown and he limply floated in the water.

* * *

A dark figure swam up to Drew, horrified with what they saw. They turned and saw the last crystal. Snatching it in their hands they slotted it into the last hole. Everything started glowing gold. Golden swirls of light beamed from the crown and swirled around the person, revealing it as Misty as she had her hands on the crown. The swirls wrapped tightly her. She glowed, feeling energy flow through her. She closed her eyes, letting the feeling swirl over her. Soon the light died down a bit. She had to protect the temple now. She focused her thoughts on the barrier. It started to repair itself and the sea temple started to rise up again from the depths of the ocean. The water started to drain from the temple back down to the normal level. The people on board the ship gasped in shock as they saw the sea temple surface. The bubble around it opened up. Now that the water was not covering her capsule, May finally managed to open it. Manaphy jumped out and looked around excitedly. May hopped out herself, smiling as she saw the temple back to normal.

"Drew did it!" She exclaimed. She waited patiently for Drew to come find her. He was going to find her right? He wouldn't just leave her stranded here. She didn't realize that someone was creeping up behind her until it was too late. Phantom came out of the water and grabbed Manaphy from behind.

"Mana!' Manaphy cried out. May turned only to see Phantom riding away on some sort of turbo engine.

"As long as I have Manaphy," Phantom yelled, "I can always come back here and take the sea crown again."

"Manaphy!" May yelled. A bright gold light burst from the water in front of Phantom and someone leapt out, covered in gold light.

"What the!" Phantom exclaimed, swerving out of the way.

"That must be Drew," May sighed, "and he's trying to rescue Manaphy for me." The person in the gold light wrestle around and chased Phantom.

"Wow!" Ash breathed, spotting who the person was. The person eventually grabbed Manaphy and Phantom lost his balance, falling into the water.

"Drew got him!" May exclaimed in relief. A huge submarine emerged from the water, Phantom on top.

"I will return one day!" he threatened, "Just wait until then!" The submarine turned and jetted away.

"Arceus," Jackie cursed, "He got away."

"Oh well," Lizabeth sighed, "let's go pick up May." They climbed back into the mini sub and headed as fast as they could to the ocean temple.

* * *

May's POV

I waved to Drew as he came towards me, holding Manaphy in his arms. Thank goodness he was alright. The submarine came next to me and out came Lizabeth, Brock, Ash, Max and Jackie. Max ran to me and gave a tight hug.

"Oh May!" he exclaimed, "I thought you were a goner."

"No," I laughed, "Drew protected me."

"Drew?" Max questioned.

"Yeah," I confirmed, nodding, "he locked me in that case there so when the water came higher I wouldn't drown." I pointed to the case.

"Drew…" Jackie sighed, trailing off. He looked pained and I had no idea why.

"Look, here he comes now," I said, pointing. The golden light dimmed down as he landed until it was completely gone.

"Um, May," Max said, "That's not Drew." I blinked in shock. He was right. It wasn't Drew. It was my sister.

"Mistiquellenne!" I exclaimed, "You saved Manaphy!" Manaphy wriggled in Misty's arms and jumped out into mine.

"Don't you ever call me by my full name, ever," Misty growled, "that goes for all of you!"

"Misty!" Ash yelled, running to her. Misty froze as Ash pulled her into a hug.

"Ash?" she questioned.

"Misty I'm so sorry," he apologized, "for everything that you thought. I forgive you and I wasn't freaked out by you being the princess or anything. I just needed a little bit of time to process it."

"Um…Ash?" she repeated, sounding confused, "What are you trying to say?"

"I love you," he said softly, "nothing will change that."

"Oh Ash," Misty sighed, "You know I'm the sea princess and all."

"I know," he said, "weren't you just listening to me? I said I don't care. I want you to know that I love you."

"I love you too," she said so softly I barely heard it. Ash grinned.

"I know," he said, "you are my girlfriend after all."

"But Ash, you never asked me to," she protested.

"I did, a while ago actually," he said, "don't you remember Misty?"

"Oh that," she sighed, "I thought we broke up?"

"No," Ash said, "you just assumed. I never said that I wanted to break up therefore we're still together. Right?"

"You're such a silly boy," Misty laughed, wiping her eyes, "of course we're still together." They leaned up to kiss each other and so I looked away. That's when I realized something.

"Hang on," I said, "Where's Drew?" Jackie looked down. Max bit his lip. Lizabeth turned away and Brock twiddled his thumbs together. Ash looked at Misty. Misty locked eyes with me. Well, they were acting funny.

"He's in the room with the sea crown still," she said eventually. I turned, about to go find him.

"Wait May," Misty called, "Don't go in there unless you're prepared for what you're going to see." Huh?

"I'll go with her," Jackie said quietly. Why were they acting so strange?

"Alright," Misty said, "We'll come as well. Just maybe let May go first." I shook my head. My friends were so confusing. I walked towards the room where he would be. I don't know why I was the only one excited to go see him. Manaphy whimpered slightly and nestled into my arms. What was wrong with him? Even Manaphy was being funny about this. And then I understood. My heart stopped when I saw him. He was lying on the ground next to crown. His eyes were closed and his face was pale. Oh Mew.

"Drew!" I screamed. I ran to him and knelt down next to him. I shook him. He didn't move. I put my fingers shakily next to his neck. Exactly what I feared. No pulse. He had drowned.

"Drew!" I screamed again, "Oh Drew." Tears filled my eyes and I didn't even try to push them away. I flung myself over his body, crying into his chest, not feeling the familiar feel of his heartbeat.

"Drew, you can't be dead," I cried, "you promised Drew. You promised you'd always protect me. You promised. You broke your promise Drew."

* * *

**A/N: I cried writing that last bit. :'( So sad. Don't hate me for making Drew die. And don't hate me for making Phantom get away like that. There could possibly be a sequel. At least Ash and Misty are back together right?**


	16. If I could just tell you

**If I could just tell you…**

May's POV

I brushed my hand through his hair like I did that one time. Only this time he was never going to wake up. Drew was dead. He was _dead_. Gone forever. Manaphy wriggled under me. I had completely forgotten about him. I got up, letting Manaphy move from being squashed between me and Drew. I bit my lip as I looked at him. Now that we had found the sea temple, I guess I would have to say goodbye to him too. I had lost two things I loved in one day. I sighed.

"Hey," Jackie said, putting a hand on my shoulder, "are you ok?"

"No," I said truthfully.

"It's hard, I know," he said.

"Why did he have to die?" I asked, "Why?"

"Oh May, you know he was trying to protect you," Jackie replied, "Putting the crystal back was his last chance to save you both. He knew that he could either put it back, or drown. I guess when he locked you in that capsule; he knew that you'd at least be safe."

"Why did he have to save me?" I cried, "Why couldn't I have drowned as well?"

"Do you know how worried Max was?" Jackie asked, "He freaked out when he thought you had drowned."

"Wait, how did the crown get restored if Drew...drowned?" I asked, choking on the last word.

"That was me," Misty admitted, "As soon as I found out that Phantom had been following you, I knew something had to be done so I sent Jackie down to delay while I did some stuff."

"So you put it back in," I repeated, "how did you get all the way down here? I know you can hold your breath for a long time, but that was ridiculous."

"I don't need to," Misty said, "I can breathe underwater."

"What!" I exclaimed.

"I'm the sea princess May," Misty sighed, "it means that I can breathe underwater. You can too." I let her words sink in.

"If only I had known," I wailed, "I could've saved him. It could've been him in the capsule and I could've put the crystal back."

"You can't blame yourself May," Jackie said fiercely, "even if you knew you could breathe underwater, Drew wouldn't have done it any other way. You can't swim and so how knows how much you could've been thrown around. You could've died just as easily and then Drew would be feeling horrible because he was meant to protect you." I sniffed as I tried to wipe my tears away, but more just replaced them.

"I just want him back," I whispered, "I need him."

"We all want him back May," Jackie said.

"Oh why do you care?" I snapped, "It's not like you cared. You know, for being his brother, you would've thought that you could've been a little nicer and all. You hated him all because he so called stole your mission to protect me. You know what? That's the stupidest reason I've ever heard to hate someone, especially your own brother. Drew did a better job than you ever could have. He died for me. Would you have done that? No! And now he's dead and all you ever did was hate him." I saw his face change from sadness, to shock, to rage, to regret.

"I never hated him," Jackie hissed, "that was my excuse."

"What do you mean?" I spat.

"You know how Drew was really arrogant around you and constantly pushing you away?" Jackie asked, "Well, that was to protect you from getting hurt by his enemies. A Pokémon ranger always has to be careful about who they're close to. Saying that I hated Drew and not letting people find out that he's my brother was the way I protected him. You see, Phantom and I have been strong enemies for a while and he's really strong. I can't even fight him head on. All you can do with Phantom, is dodge and weave and hope that your agility can outlast him. Drew didn't know that and so if Phantom and him were to face off, Phantom wouldn't have much trouble hurting or even killing my brother. I only wanted to protect him from that and so I pushed him away. I always kept a close eye on him though. And now I regret that he didn't even know that I cared." I remembered the way Drew had taken Phantom on before and how easily Phantom had thrown him into the wall. Jackie was right about that. Phantom wouldn't have to try very hard to kill him. Not that it mattered now. Drew was already dead.

"So you actually did care?" I questioned, "You should've said something. Drew seriously though you hated him and even though he didn't say, I could tell it hurt him."

"I know that," Jackie hissed, "I said I regretted it, but now I can never tell him."

"Alright, I'm sick of this," Misty declared, "there's too much sadness and regret."

"Well, it's not like we can do anything about it," Ash said softly.

"Yes there is," Misty sighed, "he drowned, that's water. I might and I repeat **_might_ **be able to bring him back. But if I do, you guys gotta promise you'll tell him exactly how you feel ok?" I nodded enthusiastically. Misty sighed.

"This'll take a lot of strain on my body," she sighed, "and I'll need your help too May or I might not be able to do it at all."

"I'll help," I said eagerly, "I'll do anything if it means that he'll be alive again."

"Alright, everybody out," Misty shooed, "I need concentration." Misty walked to me and took my hands, pulling me to my feet. I stood on one side and Drew and Misty stood on the other. She linked our hands in the middle.

"I need you to concentrate on Drew ok?" she told me, "think about how much you love him and need him back."

"What!" I squeaked, "I don't-"

"May, don't you dare deny," she cut me off, "I know you love him. It's really obvious. I need you to think about how much you love him. That's what's going to help me." I blushed and nodded. I closed my eyes and thought about Drew. His soft green hair. His bright emerald eyes. His slightly dry light pink lips. I thought of the time when he kissed me in his sleep. I knew then that I loved him. I knew. I loved him. I loved him a lot. I loved Drew. Misty let out a huge sigh and her hands released from mine. I felt slightly giddy. She sank down to the ground.

"All we do is wait," she said, "It might have worked, and it might not have. You might want to sit down for a while. You'll feel pretty woozy for a while." I did what she told me and sank down to the ground. With one hand, I took his cold hand and with the other, I reached over, pressing it against his neck again. I sighed in disappointment. Nothing.

* * *

I was about to burst into tears again, when I felt something. A slight squeeze around my hand. Curious, I leaned over him. He was still so quiet, so pale, so motionless. Did I maybe imagine it? I brushed his fringe away from his face. I heard a moan. I looked to Misty, how was also staring at Drew now. I definitely hadn't imagined that. C'mon Drew. Wake up. He coughed and water came out of his mouth, spilling over his lips and onto the ground. He winced and his eyes then opened. He blinked a few times. I gasped.

"Drew?" I questioned.

"May?" he said looking at me. His voice was low and raspy from all the water he had swallowed, but I couldn't care less.

"Drew!" I exclaimed, flinging myself over him.

"Oh Drew, you were dead," I sobbed into his chest, this time feeling his heartbeat, "you were dead. You were actually dead. I thought you'd left me forever."

"Huh?"

"You were dead," I repeated, "Misty saved you. She brought you back to me."

"May," he said softly, "Don't cry." He stroked his hand through my hair, soothing me until I eventually wiped my eyes and got up. I helped him up into a sitting position. He batted my hands away.

"No need to baby me May," he complained.

"Oh my gosh the others still think you're dead," I exclaimed, "I have to go tell them." Misty stood up, before she collapsed again.

"Are you ok Misty?" I asked.

"Yeah," she replied, "just a little weak. It doesn't help that I now have a massive thumping headache either."

"Right," I said, "I'll go get the others. Ash can come and get you back to the ship." Misty slowly nodded and I ran back out. The others were all huddled together.

"Drew's alive!" I exclaimed, "We did it and he's really alive. Do you want to come see?" They all nodded and went in. I caught Ash by him arm.

"Misty's really weak from reviving Drew," I told him, "She's got a really bad headache as well. You have to get her back to the ship." The others were crowding around Drew, who still looked a little stunned at all the attention. Ash patted Drew's shoulder before he went over to Misty. He whispered a couple of things into her ear and she nodded. He kissed her cheek gently and picked her up. He brushed passed me on the way out.

"Get Jackie to tell Drew now," Misty said to me. I nodded.

"Ok, visiting time is up," I said, "Jackie has something important he'd like to tell Drew now." I shot Jackie a pointed look and he nodded. Drew frowned, looking at me, but I ignored it, pushing the others out.

"Let's go wait by the edge of the temple," I told them, "Ash will come and get us after he's taken Misty back." Max whined in annoyance and I ruffled his hair playfully. He shot me an annoyed look and I laughed. I was too happy right now to even care. Drew was alive and that was all that mattered.

* * *

I saw Drew walking back with Jackie. Both looked serious as usual, but there was a sparkle in their eyes. I suddenly remembered Drew's Pokémon. I had left them in the capsule. I saw Ash driving the sub back.

"You guys get in," I told them, "I'll be right back. I just forgot something." I ran until I found where I had left the capsule. I reached in and found all his Pokéballs were still there. Thank goodness. Someone touched my shoulder and I jumped. I spun around so fast that I almost fell over. I managed to keep my balance.

"Drew," I gasped, "Don't scare me like that!"

"I can't tell if you're talking about me sneaking up on you, or the whole dying thing," he teased.

"Don't even joke about that," I growled, "I was seriously scared then."

"So Jackie said you had something to say to me apparently," he said.

"Did he tell you?" I asked, avoiding it. He frowned.

"Yes, he told me all about it," he said, "he promised me that he'd try to be a little more brotherly."

"That's good," I said, "He told me all about it after I snapped at him."

"You snapped at him?" he questioned, his eyebrows raised.

"Well yeah," I replied, "You can't blame me. I was high strung ok? You were dead."

"So what did you want to tell me?" he asked. Not just yet.

"Here's your Pokéballs back," I said, handing them to him, "we should probably head back. We don't want to keep the others waiting." I started walking. I heard Drew sigh.

"You're being difficult May," he said, walking beside me.

"What do you mean I'm being difficult?" I asked innocently. Truth was I just wanted to delay it just a little longer.

"Oh c'mon May," he groaned, "You keep avoiding my question."

"Which question?" I asked, just as sweetly.

"May," he said lowly, "you know what I'm talking about."

"Remind me," I said.

"What did you have to tell me?" he asked. I noticed that we had come back to the sub.

"Well, look at that," I said, "We're back at the sub and everyone is waiting inside for us." I was about to head to it when he grabbed my wrist. I winced slightly. I guess he forgot about my cut. He blinked a few times and then changed the hands he was holding me back with.

"Tell me May," he growled, "It can't be that bad." I took a deep breath.

"Ok Drew," I said, "the truth is that I really have fallen for you."

"What?"

"I love you," I mumbled, looking down. He placed his hand under my chin and brought my face back up to look at him again.

"I love you too May," he whispered, "You have no idea how long I waited for you to say those words to me." He leaned closer. I blushed. This wasn't what I had expected him to say. He rubbed his nose against mine, smiling as he did. It was a real smile, something I had been seeing more of since this whole thing with the sea temple.

"You don't care that I'm the younger sea princess?" I questioned as him mouth came closer to mine.

"I don't care at all," he assured, "remember I've known all my life."

"Right."

"Just stop talking and let me kiss you." And so I was quiet. His lips gently pushed against mine. Max was banging his fists furiously against the window, but I ignored it. I loved the feel of Drew's lips on mine. They were moist this time. Not rough and dry, but I think I could blame that on being in an underwater temple. They were still warm. He pulled away. Wow. It was even better than the first time.

"What first time?" he asked, his eyes narrowing at me. Oops, had I really just said that aloud?

"Um…" I trailed off, not sure what to say.

"May," he said sternly.

"Ok, you may have kissed me in your sleep when we slept together outside in the hammock," I confessed.

"Arceus, I knew it!" he said. I gave him a confused look, but he didn't bother to give me an explanation. He just chuckled, shook his head and kissed me again. By now Max was about to break the window, but it wasn't like I cared. I could go on kissing Drew all day.

* * *

**A/N: Because I can't stand sad endings like that. You knew that Drew had to come back. He still had unfinished business. Yay Contestshipping! Finally! So it's finally the new year! Happy new year everyone! This is an extra chapter for today as a little present for the start of a new year.**


	17. Ending

**Ending**

Drew's POV

Max pounded harshly against the window, yelling all sorts of threats at me for kissing his sister. I reluctantly pulled away. I was not liking the sorts of things that he was saying and I'd like none of them to come true.

"I swear, if this is what your brother is like, I'm not going to meet your dad," I whispered.

"Alright then," she giggled, "let's get out of here."

"Could you maybe get them to go and then come back for me?" I asked, "I'm actually scared of what your brother plans to do to me."

"Don't be a wuss," she laughed.

"I dunno, some of those threats sound pretty nasty," I said, pressing my forehead to hers.

"You know you're only making them worse by displaying this much affection for me," she said bluntly.

"Who said I was affectionate?" I questioned, pushing her away. She pouted cutely at me. I gave in.

"Oh Arceus are you trying to get your brother to kill me," I muttered, pulling her in for a quick kiss.

"No," she giggled, "but come on or you'll make it worse." She took my hand in hers and practically dragged me into the sub, pulling me into the seat next to her.

"Finally!" Brock exclaimed.

"Drew!" Max yelled, his fists clenched. He looked like he was ready to explode.

"Um…Hi Max," I said, waving to him.

"Not now Max," Brock said, "I'd like to make it back to the ship with _everyone_ in one piece please." May yawned and rested her head on my shoulder.

"I'm tired," she mumbled.

"Don't sleep yet," I laughed, "We're so close to the ship." I didn't get a response.

"May?" Nothing. I looked at her and chuckled. She'd fallen asleep. The sub docked and I picked May up.

"We need to talk Drew," Max growled as he brushed passed me.

"Let me put May to bed first," I said.

"I'll be waiting on the deck," he said. I winced slightly.

"Ok." Why did I do that? I was basically agreeing to my death.

* * *

May's POV

I slowly opened my eyes. I'd had a really good sleep. Huh? I was in my bed. I guess Drew had taken me to my room. I frowned. Where was he?

"Hey you're awake," Misty said. I turned and blinked. Beside me was Misty and Jackie.

"Hey guys," I said, "What are you doing in here?"

"Well apart from the fact that Drew made me watch over to make sure that nothing went wrong," Jackie said, "I also needed to talk to you and Misty here wanted to do the same."

"Ok," I said, sitting up, "What do you guys need to say?"

"I needed to talk to you about Drew," Jackie said, "You know what you're doing?"

"Of course I do," I replied.

"Well, if you're going to be dating him," Jackie started, "You know all the dangers. You know the dangers of dating a Pokémon ranger?" I blushed slightly.

"Well, in case you haven't noticed, I'm the younger sea princess," I reminded him, "I'll always be in some sort of danger, whether I date a Pokémon ranger or not."

"Good call," he said, "but I just wanted to make sure you know that. And you know Drew will have to leave often for missions, sometimes ones that can go for a long time." I hadn't even thought of that. I thought for a moment.

"I'm prepared to deal with that," I told him, "I won't get in the way of his work."

"You won't be upset at that?" Jackie questioned.

"Well, truthfully it might take a while to get used to," I said honestly, "but I trust Drew and I'll eventually get used to it. I guess it'll just make the time I spend with him more special." Jackie looked at Misty and she nodded.

"Well congrats May," Jackie said, "I think you're pretty suitable for my brother."

"Huh?"

"Gee May," he said, rolling his eyes, "I'm Drew's brother. I gotta make sure that the girl he dates is right."

"Um…Thanks?" I said.

"I'm glad you passed though," Jackie said, "you seem like you could be a pretty good sister-in-law." I blushed furiously.

"I'm 17!" I squeaked, "I'm not even thinking of that at this point."

"It's just a future possibility," Jackie shrugged, "Now I'll let Misty talk to you now." I blushed furiously.

"Did he have to do that?" I groaned, "That's pretty embarrassing."

"Well if he didn't, I would've," Misty shrugged, "like he said, gotta make sure that your in-laws are suitable and easy to get along with." I blushed.

"Ok what did you want to say to me?" I asked, worried for what she was going to say.

"Actually, I'm not going to talk about Drew," she sighed, "this is about Manaphy and other things to do with being the princess."

"What about Manaphy?" I asked, "Oh my gosh, I forgot to take him from the Samiya!"

"That's ok," Misty sighed, "He's right here." She held out a Pokéball.

"Misty, what?" I asked stupidly, "I thought he had to stay at the temple?"

"Well, if it was any other generation, he would've," Misty explained, "but you see, there are two sea princesses, which means there are two Manaphys as well. Yours is the younger and so you can keep him." I squealed and took the Pokéball excitedly.

"I caught him for you," she said, smiling slightly, "It was easy really. I asked if he'd like to stay with you forever and he agree. I held out the Pokéball and he pressed the button, kind of catching himself."

"Thanks so much Misty," I said, "now what about the other Manaphy?"

"He's already in the temple," she said, "He's got to look after it and lead the Pokémon while we go about our own business in our lives. Now what I really need to tell you is that as sea princess, even the younger one, you still have responsibilities."

"Ok, what do I do?" I asked.

"You have to come back to the sea every year for a ritual to keep the ocean in harmony," she told me, "Don't worry, I'll explain it all when the time come, but just know that every year on the total lunar eclipse, you need to be at the temple."

"How do I find it?" I asked.

"You have the sense," Misty laughed, "you can find the sea temple anywhere, any time. Just follow what your instinct is telling you. Now, I have to go back to bed. Ash would freak out if he found out that I'm up." I laughed.

"I know," Misty giggled, "I didn't think Ash was that paranoid either, but apparently he is. I told him that my headache was gone, but he still insists that I rest."

"Hang on, before you go, one more thing," I called, "do you know where Drew is?"

"Well, last I saw, he went to go see Max. Apparently Max really needed to talk to him about you," Misty giggled slightly, "Max is so protective. He's out on the deck. You might want to go rescue Drew." I nodded and left my room with her.

* * *

When I saw them, I almost would've laughed. Max had cornered Drew against the rail. Right then, he was poking Drew in the chest with his finger. I had better go rescue him. Drew looked really uncomfortable.

"Hey Max," I called, "leave Drew alone."

"May!" he yelped, jerking slightly. I giggled at his surprise. Drew's eyes softened as he looked at me.

"Hey May," he said, "I'd come to you, but I'm kinda trapped." He gestured to Max, who was still standing in front of him.

"I was just leaving," Max said, scurrying away quickly. Drew chuckled and shook his head.

"Hey you ok?" I asked, "Misty told me that Max was laying into you."

"Of course I'm ok," he snorted, "Why wouldn't I be ok?"

"You just seemed kind of nervous before," I said, "to be around Max."

"He's just really protective," Drew chuckled, "and really what Max said wasn't so bad."

"What did he say?" I asked.

"Just went through the rules and responsibilities of being your boyfriend," he replied.

"There are rules and responsibilities to dating me?" I questioned, "I think Max went overboard."

"Don't worry," he chuckled, "they were just things like don't you dare hurt her, protect her or else, if you hurt her in any way I'll kill you, you know standard things like that."

"Oh ok," I giggled.

"I think I got the point though," he said cheekily, "don't hurt you or I'm a dead man."

"Don't be dramatic," I sighed. He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close. I hadn't even realized that he had come close enough to reach me.

"Oh I think I can be," he said, "your brother told me I have to meet your dad ASAP. Apparently your family is very serious about this."

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, Jackie put me through a test, though I don't think it was half as bad as what my brother said," I told him.

"Oh he did, did he?" Drew questioned, his eyebrows raised, "and what did Jackie say?"

"Just made sure I knew what dating you would mean," I shrugged.

"And what does dating me mean?" he questioned, pressing his forehead against mine.

"That I love you," I answered.

"Somehow I don't think that's what he said," Drew chuckled, "but that's good to know as well."

"I love you Drew," I repeated.

"I heard," he said, grinning.

"Drew!" I exclaimed.

"Ok, ok, I love you too," he said. He leaned closer and I closed my eyes. I heard the sound of a Pokémon releasing itself and Drew stopped.

'Mana!' Manaphy cried, 'Mana, mama, dada.' I pulled away from him and bent down to pick up the newest addition to my team.

"Why does something always have to interrupt me?" Drew groaned.

"Hush Drew," I giggled, "Manaphy's probably just not used to a Pokéball yet."

"Wait, I thought he had to stay behind," Drew said.

"No," I replied, "there's an older Manaphy, just like there's an older sea princess and so I get to keep my little baby."

"Well that's good," Drew said, "but you don't think Manaphy would mind if I kissed you?"

"No Drew," I said firmly, "Manaphy doesn't need to see something like that. No kissing me when Manaphy's around."

"Can we put him back in the ball then?" Drew asked, "Because as much as I like the little Pokémon, I really want to kiss you right now."

"Hmm, no," I hummed, teasingly, "Manaphy has spent enough time in the Pokéball."

"Hey Manaphy," Drew called, "come here." Manaphy jumped from my arms to his. Drew turned to the water.

"You can play in the water," Drew told him, "just stay close to the ship." Manaphy excitedly jumped into the water.

"There," Drew said, "Now Manaphy's not around..." He trailed off and swung me into his body. He brushed a piece of hair from my face and leaned down again. I closed my eyes and…

"Hey guys!"

"Are you serious?" Drew groaned.

* * *

**A/N: And this one is done. I don't know whether I should be feeling relieved or sad or happy or what? So my next project is going to be another parody movie of ****_'Lucario and the Mystery of Mew'_**** so if you liked this, look out for it. It's called _The aura and Mew_. I still haven't quite figured out some details for the plot of the sequel to _Roses, Sabotage and Drew_, but I'm working on it and I might be able to start that soon as well. I'm also still open to suggestion to other episodes or movies you'd like me to put a twist to. Just leave the names of the episode/movie and I'll see what I can do. I still only do couples I support so if you are unsure please either check out my profile or PM me. I'll be happy to tell you. I also just want to say thank you for all those who have supported this story and encouraged me with the reviews. It means a lot and you guys are all amazing. :)**


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